Project: New Generation
by MysteryGal5
Summary: After years of growing up in their shadow, the kids of The Avengers are ready to face the world to save it from growing threats and, sometimes, even themselves. [HIATUS]
1. Welcome to the New Age

**After 5 years, 8 stories, 828,300 words, and a whole lot of anticipation; we are finally here.**

 ** _Quick Note_ \- This story will take place seven years after the MAIN events of ****_The Story of Emily Stark_** **,** ** _The Enigma of Loki's Daughter_** **,** ** _The Princess's Choice,_** **and** ** _Antibiosis_** **.**

 **If you're new to any of my stories/this series, you do not need to have read any of the other stories to understand this. You could if you like but it's not mandatory or necessary.**

* * *

Chapter One: Welcome to the New Age

 _Location Classified – 21:15 PM_

"Council, it's time to start Project: New Generation."

Agent Xavier Rogers stands in the middle of five holographic screens, each one with a different member of SHIELD's council looking at the young man standing before them. There is no immediate response but silence as they all look at him in deep analysis. Each of them begins to whisper to each other, discussing Xavier's bold statement. Xavier crosses his arms and shifts his weight as he watches the holograms become skeptical. With that said, he begins to mentally prepare himself for a possible convincing that may be needed, judging by the current looks of doubt on their faces. After a brief moment, the five council members separate and face the agent once again.

"Do you plan on starting this initiative all on your own?" A member asks him. "The other members aren't with you."

"Do you even know where they are located?" Another asks.

"I don't know of their present location this very moment but I will be sure to find them," Xavier responds.

-o-

 _Harare, Zimbabwe – 6:55 AM_

In the humidity, Agent James Pym sleeps on his hard-as-a-rock bed with three electronic fans blowing not-as-hot air on him at top speed. This isn't his best sleep but he's still managing to still have some sweet dreams. He didn't want to come here, especially since the country's currently going through a terrible inflation crisis so his money, even when exchanged into its many acceptable forms of currency, is literally worth nothing. His only reason for coming here was work.

He shifts his position and hears a sound coming from outside his room. He shoots up in his bed, sitting right at the edge, as he hears the unfamiliar noise slowly come closer.

"As if this trip couldn't get any worse..." he mutters negatively to himself, throwing his bedsheets onto the floor.

James lights up his fists with his bio-electricity as he stands up cautiously. Whatever is making the noise is suddenly at his door. James stands prominently, ready to attack, just as his door unexpectedly gets blown off. He flips over his bed at the impact of the explosion.

James shrinks down and flies above the room to lower his chances of being killed. He looks through the black smoke and sees a man standing behind it all. James grows back and huffs in frustration.

"You know, there was a lock on that door," James says to the man. "You could've just picked it silently and killed me in my sleep."

-o-

 _Location Classified – 21:18 PM_

"Agent Rogers, you have not contacted the other members," another council member tells him. "You do not know whether they're ready or not. You cannot just start an initiative like this on your own."

Xavier straightens his posture. He knows that the council is trying to talk him out of his plan because it is a risky gamble to play on his own without directly telling the others.

"We have been ready our whole lives," Xavier responds, "even if our parents weren't aware of it, they were training us. They have exposed us to the real world and raised us like normal children - which is what we all really wanted. In a way, we were training ourselves with our mundane situations. Now that we've been exposed to a higher routine and predicament, we're more than ready to apply that prior knowledge towards missions. I am just here to ask for your consent...and a quinjet."

"What about the other members?" He gets questioned about again.

"You and I both know that the ones who went to SHIELD Academy will obviously join when I tell them the news, granted that you give me permission first. As for the others, I'm not so sure." Xavier shrugs. "Stark's trying to balance her love for technology with her responsibility towards Stark Industries, Princess Iqadi has a country to maintain, and I have nothing on the Asgardians but it's most likely the same as the other two. But five members is better than one for a start."

"Just because they went to SHIELD Academy, doesn't mean that they're ready for the field." The council lady folds her hands on her desk, proving her point.

Xavier has no response for that.

-o-

 _Venice, Italy – 20:11 PM_

One dark evening, on a dusty rooftop, Agent Merida Barton walks to the very edge. She kneels down in the darkness and puts on a pair of night vision goggles to enhance her sight. She pulls out her folded bow and thrusts her arm to form her whole weapon in one swift movement. She looks down at the quiver hanging on her waist and pulls out a fresh, standard arrow. Merida slides the arrow in her quiver as she begins to scope the city.

"I'm armed, now looking for my target," she whispers into her earpiece.

Merida looks down at the dark city, trying to find her target in the crowded tourist-filled city. She scans through the people eating gelato, drinking cappuccino, or laughing away with the utmost Italian joy in their atmosphere. She changes her glance towards the canals and focuses her gaze on a gondola driver, knowing he's who she's been looking for this whole time.

Merida points her bow and takes a breath, aiming her arrow at the man.

"I've got eyes on the target," Merida says softly. "I'm going to take the shot."

-o-

 _Location Classified – 21:23 PM_

"Your team has a couple of wildcards," a councilman points out to Xavier, "and I'm talking about the SHIELD Academy agents, not the others even though some of them do pose differences from what we originally expected. Certain members will be willing to give out their assets to their full extent except for one."

Xavier takes a breath. "I know who you're talking about and I never plan to use that card. Ever."

"You can't plan combat, Agent Rogers," another tells him, "that's what makes us human."

Xavier laughs a little as he reminisces a sudden nostalgia that hit him. "You sound a lot like my father."

"Be serious. Bringing a hulk that neither you nor the user knows how to control is a risk to yourselves and the people we vowed to protect."

"Director Fury did that with New York and look at where we are now."

-o-

 _Suzhou, China – 19:46 PM_

Dr. (or Agent) Daniel Banner stands in a quiet laboratory holding a test tube up to his eyes. He adjusts his glasses as he reads the measurement engraved on the side. As he proceeds to pour the chemical substance into a beaker, it changes from yellow to green. He takes notes on what he's observing, scribbling them into a notebook with a pencil and illegible penmanship, also chatting quietly with himself on what's set before his eyes. Daniel puts his notebook down and adjusts his lab coat.

Daniel hears a knock on the door and heads over to open it. When he does, he sees a small package on the foot of the door. Daniel looks at both sides repeatedly, looking for a delivery man, but nobody. Skeptical, Daniel picks up the package, and puts it on a countertop. He notes how shockingly light it is but is careful not to suddenly shake it and cause a reaction with whatever contents may or may not be inside.

Curious, he begins to open it.

-o-

 _Location Classified – 21:32 PM_

"Are you expecting yourself to take charge of this team?" A council member asks. "This isn't just another football match, Xavier; some of your teammates will disagree on the strategies and orders you will give. There is more pressure on the leader even if he isn't the one firing the shots."

Xavier notices that he wasn't addressed by his rank but by only his name. He tilts his head a little, never losing eye contact with the council since they will expect him to buckle under the pressure they're putting on his shoulders. If he were to crumble, it would show unpreparedness and the inability to lead. Instead, he clears his throat to show confidence.

"I will be fully responsible for whatever will happen," he states firmly. "Despite what they may say in times of trouble, they will act under my order so I will take the blame if things are to go south."

-o-

 _Miami, Florida – 1:47 AM_

On a rainy night in a bus terminal, a heavily pregnant Agent Angela Rogers speed-walks up to the ticket booth and buys a ticket for the first bus leaving to whatever destination. Once she gets her ticket, she puts the hood of her gray sweater over her newly chopped blonde locks and begins walking over to her terminal, calmly, while listening to the televisions blaring above her. She tries her best not to look shady but that she can't help it.

 _'All police are to be aware of a mysterious blonde suspect who fled from a robbery at the Miami museum after a fight with the security. She is described to be tall, Caucasian, thin yet toned, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes.'_

Angela eyes the terminal security crew as she puts her hands on top of her baby bump. She loses eye contact and continues walking. She takes a deep breath as she side-steps traveling people with their families and luggage all while avoiding any kind of camera from the security ones in the corner of the ceilings to even the cellphone camera.

 _'The blonde suspect is highly dangerous and holds a valuable artifact from the museum with her. Citizens are warned not to approach her and notify the authorities as soon as possible.'_

Angela brushes her uneven shoulder-length hair under her hood and away from her face. She turns around and sees the terminal security subtly following her, trying to act as if they're doing their usual border patrol on everyone else when they're primarily on her tail. Angela faces forwards again. She picks up her pace, hears the security try to call her over for an inspection, but she breaks into the fastest sprint her legs could manage.

-o-

 _Location Classified – 21:35 PM_

After a short, private meeting amongst themselves, the council members give Xavier one final look. Xavier takes a breath, ready to accept the rejection. The stone-cold faces of the council say that he will be getting a 'no' right in his face, but the edges of their cheeks unexpectedly soften up.

"You have our permission to begin Project: New Generation," they tell him.

Xavier smiles brightly and gives a respectful nod. "Thank you, Councilmen."

He turns and starts to walk out, thinking of a way to get his team, but stops when he hears his name being called again - his first name without his rank.

"But be warned, Xavier, your teammates are people that you have known since birth and have spent an enormous amount of time with. Over that duration of time, your relationships have evolved from friends to lovers, to even a family. From now on, your bonds with these people will never be the same; especially since the ones who did not go with you to SHIELD have been exposed to a completely different life path than you and will have prior commitments for themselves and not this team. You also have to know when to expect the absolute worse and make sacrifices that would've never crossed your mind as a teenager. This will be tough and difficult in the long-run. You're no longer in high school, Agent – or should I say Captain Rogers, but the battlefield. Do you understand?"

Xavier takes a long and deep breath. "I do."

* * *

 **Isn't that quite the start?**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **– Xavier is going to recruit the first members of his team.**


	2. Some Assembly Required

**I know that I don't get new story notifications until the second chapter so if that's the case for you then welcome to this story.**

 ** _Recap_** **\- James woke up because of a sudden explosion, Merida is targeting a gondola driver, Daniel has an unexpected package, and Angela is pregnant and running away from the cops. Meanwhile, Xavier has finally gotten permission to start Project: New Generation.**

* * *

Chapter Two: Some Assembly Required

 _Harare, Zimbabwe – 6:59 AM_

James shrinks down and flies above the room to lower his chances of being killed. He looks through the black smoke and sees a man standing behind it all. James grows back and huffs in frustration at the result of the mini-explosion.

"You know, there was a lock on that door," James says to the man. "You could've just picked it silently and killed me in my sleep."

Xavier laughs whole-heartedly as he waves the smoke off with his hand and enters the room. James rolls his eyes as grows back to his normal size, picks up his pillow, and whacks Xavier with it. Xavier accepts the attack before James throws the pillow back onto the head of his bed (missing it).

"What are you doing here?" James asks him, packing his bags. He quickly assumes that Xavier is going to get him out of Zimbabwe and since Xavier doesn't object, James doesn't stop throwing clothes into a suitcase. He couldn't be more excited to leave, actually. A part of him believes that his knight in shining armor is here to whisk him away into the burning sunset.

"Making your boring expedition more exciting," Xavier replies, jokingly. "No, I finally spoke to the council and it's starting."

James lights up, immediately knowing what Xavier's talking about. "Seriously? Project: New Generation is finally getting some action? Now, I forgive you for your over-dramatic entrance."

Xavier nods. "I just have to get the others but minus myself, you're the first."

"I'm incredibly flattered but your sister has my heart."

James smiles to himself as Xavier rolls his eyes. James clears out every dresser drawer and his closet, totaling up to three suitcases. He forces Xavier to carry two of his suitcases which Xavier just allows. Excited by all the good news, James forgets to change out of his pajamas and Xavier doesn't say anything for three reasons: one, he didn't want to disrupt James' joy. Two, they would get the others faster. Three, it was way funnier this way.

-o-

 _Venice, Italy – 20:17 PM_

Merida points her bow and takes a breath.

"I've got eyes on the target," Merida says softly into her earpiece. "I'm going to take the shot."

Merida focuses on her target, aiming her arrow right at him. She takes another breath and almost inches her fingers off the arrow to let it fly. Suddenly, she stops. Merida lowers the bow when the gondola driver turns around and looks right at her. At first, she didn't really know how the target was able to spot her since she was basically wearing camouflage in the dark. With the facial recognition software in her night vision goggles, the scans show the gondola driver to be Xavier. Merida quickly rips off her glasses and runs off the rooftop, skidding down the building's fire escape. She runs up to the marina and sees Xavier already docked, waiting for her. She sits inside the gondola, back facing him, and Xavier begins rowing along the water roads.

"Long time no see," Merida greets. Despite her tone being harsh, she means what she said sincerely.

Xavier sighs. "Were you actually going to shoot me?"

"Yes." Merida firmly states. Xavier isn't surprised. "Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now and dispose of your body in this water."

"Project: New Generation is starting."

At first, Merida doesn't respond since her mind takes a few seconds to take those five words in. She turns around and looks back at Xavier.

"That makes seeing you in a stupid gondolier's outfit totally worth it."

Xavier is currently wearing the black and white striped top, red ascot tied around his neck, black pants, and - hat. He ignores her laughs and rolls his eyes as he splashes her with the ore.

"Would you like me to sing for you?" Xavier jokes.

"I would rather drown myself," Merida responds.

-o-

 _Suzhou, China – 19:51 PM_

Skeptical, Daniel picks up the package, and puts it on a counter. He notes how shockingly light it is but is careful not to suddenly shake it and cause a reaction from the contents that may or may not be inside.

Curious, he begins to open it.

Considering that the package could literally contain anything, he's careful when opening it. Once he gets through the tape, he opens the box's flaps and sees a ton of packing peanuts. Daniel scoops them all out onto the countertop and the floor until he reaches the bottom of the box. He picks up a simple note and reads it, smiling a little when he recognizes the handwriting - the legible-enough penmanship he used to see all the time in high school when asked _'is this what you got for question seven?'_

"Please tell me you did not waste money on the shipping and handling of this empty package," Daniel says to Xavier who suddenly appears in the doorway.

"Given that it weighs nothing, I barely spent a dime," Xavier replies. He takes a quick breath. "Daniel, Project: New Generation is starting."

Daniel's face drops in pure shock (the kind that follows fear). Xavier remembers the statement from the council about having a Hulk nobody knows how to control in situations where combat cannot be planned. This is what everyone feared, especially Daniel. Forget everyone else being scared of a hulk they can't control, he's the one who has the least bit of command over it.

"Are you sure?" Daniel asks. "Are you really _properly_ sure?"

"I am."

"I can't do this. I can't just - "

"Daniel, I promise that I will never force you to do so. We're smart. We'll come up with other strategies."

Daniel looks at Xavier, still unsure. His Hulk is his worst fear and the last time he encountered it was seven years ago, at graduation, when all of their lives were at risk because of it. Xavier nods, reassuring his point.

"C'mon," Xavier encourages even more, "let's make more memories together."

Daniel mutters curses to himself before reluctantly agreeing to join something he probably had no other option.

-o-

Xavier and Daniel walk on a quinjet, finely equipped with everything they need from training rooms to offices, sleeping quarters, laboratories, kitchens, and a bar with its accompanying lounge. Daniel sees James and Merida and quickly catch up as Xavier pulls up a hologram of news footage. What sparks all of their attentions is the newscaster talking about a story with Angela's face in the corner and the word 'wanted' written in bold red letters. The whole group is speechless as Xavier turns up the volume to hear the full story.

 _'Late this evening, a ring valued at over a billion dollars was stolen from Miami's Antiquity Museum. All police are to be aware of a mysterious blonde suspect who fled from a robbery at the Miami museum after a fight with the security. She is described to be tall, Caucasian, thin yet toned, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The blonde suspect is highly dangerous and holds the valuable artifact from the museum with her. Citizens are warned not to approach her and notify the authorities as soon as possible.'_

"Your sister's gone nuts," Merida tells Xavier. "All this for a _ring_? I expected something like this from Britney."

"To be fair," Daniel says, "given a good reason, people would go to great lengths to get a ring."

"Talk about how you got Emily's engagement ring again, why don't you?"

"Britney wanted to drag it to extremes, not me. And to be fair, I paid it all back."

"What a good samaritan you are, Daniel Banner."

"See, maybe it was Britney," James pipes in, getting back on topic. "She's blonde, mysterious, would totally put the blame on someone else - in this case Angela, and she possesses every other characteristic mentioned in the tape. Well, with the exception of the eyes but their security technology is still probably the same ones from the 90s."

"It wasn't Britney!" Xavier yells a bit too loud. He takes a breath calm himself down. "I'm sorry but it just couldn't be. She told me that Asgard's got far nicer jewelry. Angela's mission was in Miami but SHIELD wouldn't spare me any more details since 'it's classified.'" He throws in air quotes. "She has no backup plans or assistance with her."

"How could you possibly know that?" Merida questions.

"She's my twin," Xavier replies. Merida nods a little. "Angela doesn't even have a form of communication on her to avoid being tracked by the police's systems. She's truly out there alone and she's already frantic on her strategic approaches since she's already been sighted by the media. The last I've seen from her were some police reports from a bus terminal in Miami about a blonde girl running off, hopping on a bus before the police could catch her."

"Buses leaving a terminal could go anywhere in the States," Daniel says. "Even Mexico or Canada, depending on which bus she got on. She could easily get across the border without a passport. Also, take into consideration that Angela could've easily gotten off _anywhere_ between routes and transferred to another one. Not to mention that she's a spy on the hunt. She'll know how to avoid cameras and remain in the shadows from now on."

"She's Angela," James says, "even shadows need their dose of sunshine per day. We'll just have to go where the sun's about to rise."

Merida narrows her eyes. "The sun rises at practically the same time in every state."

"I was trying to be poetic." James rolls his eyes and looks at Xavier. "Any ideas?"

Xavier looks at the footage from the police once again and thinks hard about what his twins motives might be. He tilts his head a little and smiles to himself.

"Merida, get us in the air," Xavier orders.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **– Where is Angela and why is everyone looking for her?**


	3. Let's Start

**I am in a very good mood. Not only is this story off to a good start, but reading the feedback from Emily and Britney's stories just made me so happy. To find out that there have been people who have been with the stories for so long and haven't left just gives me so much hope and gratitude. This third chapter is dedicated to all of you.**

 ** _Recap_** **\- Angela is currently missing in action being hunted down by both the police and her friends. The only problem is that neither of them knows her location.**

* * *

Chapter Three: Let's Start

 _New Orleans, United States - 8:00 AM_

Angela has been sitting on the bus for thirteen hours straight. She has been on the edge of her seat for the entirety of the bus ride. Her heart has been racing for about six hours; she finally fell asleep for three hours, and she stared out the window for the rest of the ride. Her eyes have been on her large baby bump the whole time she was awake, stroking her hand up and down as a way to distract her heavy eyes from closing again due to fatigue since she had to keep her focus on her bump to keep it safe. She simply could not risk sleeping during a time like this with eyes looking everywhere for her, despite her own eyes being incredibly heavy.

When the bus finally arrived at the destination, she removes her hood and shakes her head to wake herself up and fix her newly chopped hair before making her way off the bus. That's when she realized she was in New Orleans. She originally jumped on the first bus she saw leaving Miami with no idea of where it was going. She's content that it ended up being in a completely different state.

She walks through the bus terminal slowly, keeping her eyes open at all times to make sure nobody suspicious is watching or looking for her. The televisions surrounding her on the walls don't mention anything about the museum robbery so that calms her nerves a little. Either it was a local news report or they're still on the hunt but just not informing the media. She buys an overpriced water bottle, ironic since it was the cheapest beverage on the menu. As she takes a sip, she looks at the bottom of the escalator and thinks she sees a familiar face. Angela shakes it off, thinking she is being paranoid, as she continues going the other way. There's no way in hell that she would recognize someone here. She passes several other travelers and can't help but think that these people have a destination and a plan in mind whereas she has no idea what to do next. She sighs, deciding on whether or not to take a seat and rest or just continue walking across the terminal. She chooses the latter and takes another sip of her water before continuing her way.

Angela suddenly pauses as she feels something happening in her gut. Without looking, she uses her sense of hearing to notice that everyone else in the bus terminal is being escorted to the exit. She drops her water bottle on the ground as her hand hovers over her baby bump. Her eyes widen in surprise as she grits her teeth, trying her hardest not to scream. Angela remains calm even though she doesn't exactly know what to do at this moment.

"Need help?" A voice behind her asks.

Angela suddenly freezes at the familiarity of that voice. She turns around and is faced with the man she thought she recognized at the bottom of the escalator, realizing that she did know him.

"I got a bad feeling in my stomach that it'd be you," Angela replies sharply.

Xavier, in his SHIELD uniform, smiles at her brightly. She glares at him but then breaks into the smallest smile. Out of all the people she knows, she could never stay mad at her twin brother. She did want to be mad at him for wearing his SHIELD uniform when she's currently hiding from every other authority party out there.

"C'mon, sister," Xavier says loud enough for the people around him to hear, "time to take you to the hospital. We have to deliver my niece or nephew into the world."

Xavier picks her up and begins rushing through the terminal, apologizing to the people him or Angela accidentally hit with her flailing feet. He runs down the stairs heading towards the exit. Angela screams in pain, gripping her stomach at the sight of policemen. Xavier immediately turns around and runs the other way to find another exit.

"Hurry!" Angela exclaims, tugging on Xavier's collar.

Xavier looks around and ends up back in the middle of the bus terminal. He spins around quickly and sees the entire terminal surrounded by various types of police. Angela tries not to panic at the idea that she's been cornered this whole time.

"Your timing is _perfect!_ " Angela exclaims sarcastically.

"You could say so yourself," Xavier replies.

As people are slowly being evacuated out of the bus terminal, Xavier looks around, pleading softly for a miracle to happen - it comes. Merida pops out from one of the concession stands with two guns in her hands. She stands on the counter and begins shooting at all the surrounding forces with icers. James flies around from above, doing the same with his bio-electricity blasts. The external forces begin shooting back but Merida is much too quick as James is too small for them to get a proper aim on.

"Cover us!" Xavier yells at them.

"Protect the baby!" Angela adds in a piercing scream almost strains her voice.

Xavier carries Angela out, running away from oncoming attacks. James flies all around them, defending them at all costs from every angle. The three of them approach a police van and Xavier gets him and his twin inside. Even before the doors are closed, Daniel, who sits in the driver's seat, steps on the gas. Angela lies on her side with her body craned over her baby bump to protect it as Xavier stands above her, closing the door. James grows back to his normal size as a thump is heard on the roof. James holds up his blasts as the passenger's window opens and Merida slides in.

"That was fun!" James exclaims, his pody pumping with fresh adrenaline.

Angela stands up with Xavier's help and faces her friends, trying to think of something to say but has nothing. James puts his arm around her and smiles brightly at her.

"Cute haircut," James compliments, touching the ends of her hair that dangle just above her shoulders.

Angela looks at him, her baby bump, and then back at him. Her expression of confusion wonders why he hasn't asked about the baby bump that she didn't tell anyone about. In fact, everyone had questions but nobody knew which ones to ask first - the robbery, the pregnancy or how the hell she ended up in New Orleans. James' eyes look down at the bump and only his eyebrows go up in surprise.

"That better be mine," he says.

Angela puts a hand on his cheek and smiles wildly. "It isn't."

As James' expression drops, Merida laughs. Angela makes her two hands into fists and punches her baby bump which causes everyone to jump a little. To their surprise, it begins deflating. Angela reaches into her hoodie and pulls out a deflated beach ball, revealing the fraud of her pregnancy just to help her hide from the police (along with the haircut). Angela rips open the beach ball and shows the billion dollar ring from the robbery the television were talking about. It sparkles in several colors because of the multitude of jewels in every color and a band of pure silver and gold.

"Even _I_ don't have the balls to punch a baby bump," Merida states. "I applaud you, Angela."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" A confused James asks anyone who is willing to answer him.

"Did you actually steal that ring from the museum?" Daniel asks her. "We didn't believe the news to be true at first but now we're starting to think differently."

Angela sighs. "The ring is over a billion dollars so no ordinary security guard could be in charge of it, even with its series of complex alarms surrounding it. SHIELD warned me about a thief who has been on the radar for stealing the world's most valuable items so I was secretly assigned to watch it - not even the museum's curators knew I was there. The thief showed up and maneuvered her way through the security system successfully. We both fought each other and when the alarms went off, she made a run for it before claiming the piece of jewelry. I knew she would have returned eventually and since she could get through the alarms, I stole the ring to protect it."

"Then everyone just assumed that _you_ were the thief," Xavier finishes. Angela nods. "Well, we have the ring so there's no more this _thief_ could do."

Angela shakes her head as she holds up the ring to Xavier's face. "This ring is only the beginning."

* * *

 **Sorry, guys, but none of them are having babies at this point. They have missions to complete first.**

 _ **Stay Tuned**_ **\- the thief whom Angela speaks of is who the team will be keeping an eye on.**


	4. The Suavest Spy: Part One

_**Copyright**_ **: Totally Spies (Marathon)**

 _ **Recap -**_ **After the successful rescue mission, Angela revealed the truth behind her fake pregnancy and flee from the cops which all ultimately starts their first mission.**

* * *

Chapter Four: The Suavest Spy Part One

 _Location Classified - 11:36 AM_

Angela, now wearing her standard navy SHIELD uniform, sits with one leg crossed over the other in the middle of a dark room. Her hands stay folded on her lap as she looks at the series of holograms that circle her. SHIELD council members stare her down and even though their faces are slightly pixilated, she can still see the disappointment in their expressions. In front of her, another hologram pops up and she sees a newscaster sharing this familiar story.

 _'All police are to be aware of a mysterious blonde suspect who fled from a robbery at the Miami museum after a fight with the security. She is described to be tall, caucasian, thin yet toned, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The blonde suspect is highly dangerous and holds a valuable artifact from the museum with her. Citizens are warned not to approach her and notify the authorities as soon as possible.'_

Angela avoids looking into the eyes of the council members for that embarrassing and disgraceful blunder but once the hologram disappears, she has nowhere else to look that won't degrade her.

"Agent Rogers..." a member starts. "You had one mission to complete."

"I know," she replies. "You wanted me to protect the ring from a thief and I did."

"But _you_ ended up being the thief, didn't you?"

Angela opens her mouth a little but then closes it when she has no response. She was the one who fled from the museum and into a completely different state with the ring hidden underneath her clothing inside a beach ball that was disguised as a pregnant belly. She shifts her position in her seat, straightening her posture since she was _technically_ the thief.

"You're supposed to be a spy, Agent Rogers, not a bandit," another member tells her. "We respect you for being able to think of a disguise on your toes and an escape route under this pressure, but this form of espionage is sloppy and unacceptable for SHIELD standards, especially knowing your background."

"I know," Angela says again. "What do you want me to do with the ring?"

The council members look away from her and begin discussing that question with each other. As their eyes are no longer on her, Angela takes this moment to quickly catch her breath as she didn't realize all the tension was causing her to hold it. She subtly tugs on the collar of her uniform as the council regroups and faces her. Angela ends up clearing her throat out of nervousness, not because she had anything to say.

"We will handle the ring," a member tells her. "As for you and your team, we are sending you a lead we recently found concerning the thief. Get her this time and do not let this debriefing go to your head. Understand?"

Angela stands up and nods her head. "I will not let you down."

-o-

 _SHIELD Quinjet - 12:47 PM_

"Her name is Ivory Gates," Angela says, slapping a file in the middle of the hologram lab counter.

"That's a stupid name," Merida comments.

Angela's expression goes firm. Sitting around her are the rest of the team and they seem to notice this new level of strictness in Angela from when they knew her as children. Sure, she was bossy back then but now they notice a new form of leadership in her, different from Xavier's even though they come from the same captain. It may have been because of the debriefing but they know Angela to be good at what she does. Not only do they love her, they actually listen to what she has to say - now more than ever.

"She is a devious spy with a masters degree in stealing," Angela continues to explain, circling the counter. "Besides her exceptional combat, she is clever - always with her eye on the most valuable items. Hence her name being valuable itself: Ivory, the rare mineral from elephant's tusks which everyone wants to get their hands on illegally, and Gates after the software creator. However, there is no relation between the two whatsoever."

"Is that her real name or a cover she made for herself?" Xavier asks her.

Angela shrugs. "I don't think it matters."

"The latter's more likely," Daniel says. "What spy goes out in the world with her real name? Merida's parents are one of many examples."

Merida nods in agreement.

"After her escape in Miami," Angela says, "SHIELD found the next item on her wish list. It's a brooch owned by the Ambassador of Spain. He will be wearing it at a gala he's hosting tomorrow night. Ivory will be there."

"Then let's go," Merida says, getting up to change the autopilot course on the quinjet.

"Hold on." Angela grabs Merida's arm to stop her. "The gala is invitation-only which gives us several problems. One, we're not invited. Two, we can't _all_ show up as guests or else that would raise suspicion. Three, Ivory and I fought in the dark so I'm not sure if she knows my face or not, even with the haircut."

"Undercover mission?" Xavier says. He tilts his head a little before nodding. "I can probably work up some fake invites."

Angela nods, giving him that task. She orders Merida to get them to Spain and Daniel for some outfits to wear on the mission - some for attendees and others for employees in the venue.

"Wait," Xavier says, stopping them all from dispersing. "Does your file have a picture of Ivory so that we know who we're looking for?"

Angela's eyes immediately dart to the file she laid out on the counter. She reaches over and slides it over to herself. She opens it, flipping through the papers until she finds a good picture of Ivory to show them. When she finds one, Angela immediately bites down on her bottom lip holding the file to her chest in a hug, unsure of whether or not this is a good idea (inevitably, she knows she'll have to show them). This only makes the other team members more anxious to see her.

"Ivory will try and compromise your good judgment," Angela says, specifically eying the boys. "No one can resist her charm but beware because it will definitely cause harm."

The boys all look at each other, rethinking Angela's unintentional rhyming scheme. Merida side-steps her way over to Angela and sneaks a peek at the picture. Once she sees it, she blinks and then looks at the boys the same way.

"We're professionals," James argues.

"You'd be the first to cave in," Merida retorts back.

Angela, still skeptical, shows them the picture of Ivory. Ivory has a face that is not too thin yet not too round either. Her skin is as white as the mineral that is her first name but flawless; hair as dark as coal but shimmers, cheekbones as sharp as diamonds, eyes as bright and green as jade; all a masterpiece that rests on top of a well-proportionate body. Angela and Merida look at the boys, waiting for some sort of response, but when nothing comes out of any of the three mouths, they simply sigh. Like Angela expected, the boys were instantly mesmermized by the picture of the gorgeous Ivory Gates.

"You three are pathetic," Merida tells them.

* * *

 **My model for Ivory Gates was Madame Hydra from the cartoons, appearance-wise and possibly personality.**

 _ **Stay Tuned**_ **\- Time to get your ballgowns and bow ties ready.**


	5. The Suavest Spy: Part Two

**Okay, so, I'm kind of updating because why the hell not and I need space in the document manager since I'm close to exceeding its limit.**

 **Ah, yes, Totally Spies is the shit. That show continues to make me laugh to this day. I have another mission arc in this story that I got from the show. Feel free to guess which episode if you'd like to.**

 ** _Recap_ ****\- After a debriefing to the team about their target, Ivory Gates, they prepare themselves for their first undercover mission.**

* * *

Chapter Five: The Suavest Spy Part Two

 _Barcelona, Spain - 20:00 PM_

"Names?" A man in a crisp suit says at the entrance, looking at the two guests standing before him.

"We're here on behalf of Mr. Stark," Xavier says on behalf of him and Merida, who has her arm linked with his. "It's unfortunate him and Mrs. Stark couldn't be present tonight but the business world is sure a busy one."

"If only being in two places at once was possible," Merida adds cheekily. "That would make our lives easier."

The man at the entrance opens an arm to the ballroom, allowing them in. Xavier bows his head and Merida curtsies a little for respect. Both of them take a few steps inside, observing the ballroom from the top of the grand staircase. Below the two of them are several people ranging from guests in ball gowns, waiters in matching suits, and musicians of the orchestra in matching navy dresses or suits. From the surface of it all, this gala seemed normal but they disagreed since they knew that Ivory is or will be present. There is also the chance that Ivory is in a disguise.

"Do you see her?" Merida whispers to Xavier, keeping her eyes on the people below.

"Not from here," Xavier replies. "Let's head down."

Keeping her arm linked with his, Xavier begins leading Merida down the staircase where eyes start turning to them. Xavier in a black suit with a matching tie and not a wrinkle in sight. Merida wears a calm, one-shoulder silver dress with a glitter skirt. Her wild curls have been tamed and straightened into light waves. The only reason Merida's grip on Xavier's arm tightens drastically is because she doesn't want to draw attention to herself by tripping on the stairs. Once they reach the bottom of the grand staircase, they walk side-by-side, continuing to look around for Ivory Gates without making the constant turning of their heads so obvious to pick out as suspicious.

"The ambassador is at the bar," Merida whispers to Xavier. His eyes brush by for a second, spotting the sparkling brooch pinned next to several other militant medals.

"Ivory might not be here," Xavier replies. "At least, not yet."

"Until then, I am getting off your arm." Merida takes her arm back gently to not draw attention. "I don't need Britney popping in and amputating me."

Xavier watches Merida walk to the other end of the ballroom. Strategic wise, it's to cover more ground and build a perimeter around the ballroom all while having more eyes on the room's many corners. He watches her go and even though his eyes are on her, his mind is on a different girl. Xavier looks down for a moment before focusing back on the mission. He looks over his shoulder, at the orchestra, and sees the musicians tuning their instruments. He makes eye contact with one of the third violins. Behind the instrument and tight hairdo in her hair is Angela. Angela shakes her head subtly at him as she tests the strings on her violin, tuning her instrument.

-o-

Merida brushes her way around the ballroom, scoping for Ivory with her head held up in a snobby way and eyes looking all around her. With skin as pale as ivory itself, Ivory should stand out but for some reason, she is nowhere to be found. Men would come by and ask for a dance or if they could buy her a drink and even though Merida was undercover and supposed to be playing a character, she still said no. She didn't want to be distracted, especially by a man who only wanted to put his hands on an area she wouldn't hesitate to kick on his own body.

"Some things never change," Daniel, dressed as a waiter with a tray propped up in one hand, whispers to her as he passes by. He hands her a tall glass of a sparkling beverage. Merida eyes it for a bit. "Relax, it's soda. You need to blend in but not get intoxicated."

"I studied espionage, Daniel," Merida says, taking a sip from the glass. "I know more about blending in than you do."

"Then dance with someone. As you spin, you'll get a 360 of the room from every corner of it."

Merida blinks. "Next time we do an undercover, I'll have the tray and you can wear my ball gown."

Daniel snickers a little. "Deal."

Daniel thinks back to when they were preparing for the mission and discussing what roles they should play. Merida refused to wear a ball gown with heels and having to do a heavy makeup in order to look pretty. She wanted to be a security guard or even a waiter. Out of the group, someone needed to be able to glide on the dance floor with one of the boys and Angela was obviously not an option due to her familiarity to Ivory. By default, Merida picked the first ball gown she saw not caring about the other choices. Angela was the one to do her hair and makeup for the night.

"Have you seen James?" Daniel asks her as Merida puts her glass back on his tray. He walks away.

Merida rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she walks off. Including Ivory, James was not present yet and they had no clue why. It's not like they could contact him right now without having someone else in the room raising questions about their backgrounds as guests. The needed to remain as unknown here as possible. Daniel heads the other way, serving guests along the way with proper drinks suited for the night.

-o-

The first song of the night begins with a series of strings warming up the orchestra and the other instruments slowly joining in at the control of the conductor. Gentlemen begin escorting their dates to the center of the room, putting one hand around the waist and the other linked with their woman's hand; the women putting a hand on the man's shoulder. The two of them swaying to the music. Merida and Xavier stand by the bar, looking at each other. Daniel begins mixing drinks behind the counter. The three of them all watching the rotation of dancers circle (especially the ambassador), making sure Ivory didn't sneak under their noses.

"His brooch is still there," Daniel whispers, keeping his head down and focused on the drinks, making it look like a conversation between them isn't happening. "I also checked with Angela and Ivory isn't playing an instrument."

"What about James?" Merida asks him, looking forwards and not back.

Daniel doesn't say anything. Merida glances at Xavier who is also silent. After another moment of watching the dancers go around, they finally see the agent they were looking for this whole night just as the first song ends. As it turns out, he got here a few minutes ago and was dancing with a lady he neve got the name of.

"Would you like to share the next dance?" James asks Merida, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, right," Merida replies with a small scoff. "Where have you been this whole time?"

"Relax," James tells them, "I always know when the hot girls show up."

James turns towards the entrance at the top of the staircase. The rest of their eyes follow. It isn't odd that they all looked at once since everyone in the ballroom begins to stare. They see a woman walk in, fashionably (or purposely) late, with no man on her arm. An attendant takes off her fur coat, revealing a tall frame wrapped in a tight deep green dress with a diving neckling to match her bright jade eyes and contrast greatly against her pale skin and black hair that falls below her shoulder. She brushes back her hair with her dainty white gloves as she blows a kiss to the attendant. Her face is tight as she scopes around the ballroom and her eyes fall on the ambassador and his shimmering brooch. As the musicians shuffle through their sheet music to prepare for the next song, she begins to make her way down the grand staircase.

"Told you so," James says. Nobody could roll their eyes at him. "Now announcing the arrival of everyone's favorite kleptomaniac, Ivory Gates."

"Your intelligence is unorthodox," Daniel mutters to him, "admirable at times, but weird."

James grins. "I think that's the first time you're ever complimenting me."

"Don't get used to it."

* * *

 **I know I have received some questions about the other members of the team and they will be addressed in the next chapter.**

 _ **Stay Tuned -**_ **encounters with Ivory are coming up...**


	6. The Suavest Spy: Part Three

**I know this question will be coming up frequently: "When are Emily/Iqadi/Apollo/Sigyn going to appear?" My answer for Emily (chapter 35) and Iqadi (chapter 19) are certain. The story is starting with the part of the group that went to SHIELD since the initiative did start at SHIELD and Emily and Iqadi busy with other commitments. As for Apollo and Sigyn, I am not a hundred percent sure but they come in at consecutive chapters quite a while after Emily shows up.**

 **BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, I have the first 40 chapters of this story ready to publish. The entire story is planned, actually, some arcs are still fuzzy on the number of chapters they will have but nevertheless, I know where this story is going (don't be surprised if it changes).**

 _ **Recap**_ **\- Ivory has arrived at the gala and has her eyes set on the brooch.**

* * *

Chapter Six: The Suavest Spy Part Three

 _Barcelona, Spain - 21:59 PM_

Ivory enters the gala looking swift and gracious. Many gentlemen have their eyes on her before being forced to look back at their dates. She sticks around the border of the dance floor, her heels softly clicking to the slow tempo of the music as her eyes rest on the ambassador's brooch. Her mouth parts slightly as her eyes narrow, devising a plan on how to get the brooch and make a successful escape all while keeping her look for the evening intact and causing the least amount of chaos as possible.

"Someone needs to be with Ivory at all times," Xavier instructs to everyone through their holographic earpieces, "whether that'd be near her, interacting with her or just looking at her. We can't lose her for even the slightest second or else the brooch will be gone."

"Well, one of us needs to dance," James says. His eyes go to Merida and he holds out a hand for her. "Would you like to do me the honors, Miss. Barton?"

Merida takes a glance at him and scoffs before striding off. Embarrassed, James returns his hand to his side. He looks over at Daniel who walks off with his tray, holding back his laughter. James decides to remain at the bar and watch Ivory from there as Xavier heads off somewhere else. James catches Angela's eye for a moment and even she's grinning as the orchestra starts the next ensemble.

-o-

Ivory cuts through the crowd of people gracefully, her eyes never leaving the ambassador and his brooch. She watches the jolly man laugh at a joke someone told him. A smirk approaches her face but not for the same reason. Her plan is to take the next dance with him and flirt her way to the brooch before escaping the gala with it in her possession. Ivory is about to reach forward and tap the ambassador's shoulder but gets cut off by a redheaded woman in a silver dress.

"Hello, Ambassador," Merida greets with a fake smile that looks as if it's genuinely from her heart, "mind if we share the next dance? My own date for the evening has a pair of two left feet."

The ambassador looks at Merida and her gesturing hand surprised that a woman is the one asking him to dance. He accepts and follows her onto the dance floor where she also takes the lead on the waltz. Ivory's eyebrows frown in frustration as she begins to circle around the dance floor again to think of a new strategy, following wherever Merida would take the waltz (which was as far away from Ivory as possible). As Ivory notes this, she tilts her head a little, pondering on the possibility of someone else here who was not on the guest list.

"I can't help but notice you're alone here this evening," a man says to her. Ivory looks over her shoulder and notices Xavier standing behind her, though she only sees him as a man whose date is currently dancing with the ambassador. "I'm afraid to say that I know the feeling which is a shame since I came here with someone."

Ivory doesn't respond. She only stares, thinking that there is something odd yet familiar about this man.

"Would you care to dance?" Xavier asks Ivory, holding a hand out for her. "I promise not to step on your feet."

Ivory eyes his hand and gently accepts. Xavier holds her hand, noting how cold it is as he leads her onto the dance floor. They hold each other and begin to dance even though the song is halfway done. Their dance is silent due to their minds being completely somewhere else but Ivory breaks the ice when she looks up at him.

"That girl with the ambassador is your date for the night, yes?" Ivory asks him. Xavier nods his head. "I don't sense any romance between the two of you which gives me the feeling that you two have a professional relationship. Where is the one you truly love?"

"Excuse me?" Xavier asks, confused as to why she's asking those kinds of questions.

"The one from your past - from your high school days. It's a shame what happened to her."

Xavier can feel himself getting angry inside. "You know nothing about her."

Ivory's expression goes darker as she leans in close to him. "I know _everything_ about you and your team. You better watch yourself."

Once the song ends, Ivory and Xavier stare at each other for a moment longer before she turns around and walks away from him, hers could cut his like a knife. Xavier could feel it in his mind that Ivory was more that just one step ahead of him. He takes a breath and turns to see Merida meeting his eyes from across the ballroom.

"She knows..." Xavier says to her, barely moving his mouth. "We've been compromised."

Merida subtly nods her head.

-o-

"Excuse me, waiter," Ivory says to the closest server with a tray.

She has a playful grin on her face as she purposely approaches Daniel. Daniel has no physical reaction to seeing their target for the evening but his mind is racing through several thoughts. He clears his throat as she applies a fresh coat of lipstick and claps her lips together to blot them.

"How may I be of service for you tonight, Señorita?" Daniel asks her casually like he would to any other guest present.

"I know you are only serving Spain's finest champagne on behalf of the ambassador but I am not particularly fond of that beverage. It's much too bitter for my meticulous tongue. I was wondering if you could make a custom drink for me."

Daniel nods. "I'll see what I can do. What kind of drink better suits your taste?"

Ivory takes a step closer to him. "A curvy brunette with a billion olives."

Daniel freezes, knowing that she's talking about his fiancée, Emily Stark. Ivory grins once she sees the slight (gut reaction) panic on his face. She takes a glass of champagne that was already on his tray along with a careful sip. Daniel shakes his head, getting rid of his immediate reaction to the implied threat.

Ivory leans into his ear to whisper, "If you and your team dare to interfere with my plan, then I will find your girl and have her pay for what you've done. She has more than enough olives to compensate for my loss but will it be enough for yours? No amount of money can repair a broken heart..."

Daniel doesn't reply. Ivory snickers to herself as she sashays away to another part of the ballroom.

-o-

James knows their cover is blown but for some reason, his team is still in the ballroom. He would've thought that Ivory would've ratted them out to the security team about being frauds or worse, killed them all, but she didn't do such a thing. (At least not yet, the night is still young). After a quick drink, he approaches Ivory who looked to be expecting him, despite her eyes still being glued on the ambassador.

"The ambassador seems quite busy talking about his brooch," James comments. "If you ask me, it's not that appealing."

"I know how to get him to shut up about it," Ivory replies bitterly, snickering a little.

"Let's dance to pass the time."

Ivory looks at the hand James is offering. She, having nothing else to do to pass the time of the chattering ambassador, accepts his gesture. As they dance, James takes this chance to lean in close to her.

"Steal the brooch and we will arrest you," James whispers to her. "You're out-numbered so don't think you can get away easily."

Ivory snickers again, this time to herself. She looks up at James and isn't surprised to see his face stone-cold with seriousness.

"Technically speaking," she starts, "you can't arrest me if I have not done anything. I have not stolen the ring nor do I have the brooch."

"Okay, I'll give you that about the ring but you're going to steal the brooch, aren't you? That's what your plan is. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Of course it is." She cranes her neck up closer his brown eyes with an aspiring look on her face. "You also can't arrest me if you don't catch me..."

James looks down at Ivory and suddenly finds her lips plastered against his. She immediately turns around and breaks into a sprint. He places his fingers on his lips, wondering what the point of that was. Before James can lunge forwards and grab her, he falls over due to the sudden sound of blaring alarms overpowering the soothing music from the orchestra and the rushing crowd of other guests running over him.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- Ivory's making a run for it.**


	7. The Suavest Spy: Part Four

**_Recap_ \- after encounters with Ivory, she cleverly distracted them enough to cause chaos in the ballroom**

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Suavest Spy Part Four

 _Barcelona, Spain - 23:01 PM_

All hell breaks loose in the ballroom.

Guests run over one another, ripping the ends of ball gowns and throwing off heels in order to run faster as they all want to be the first one out. Nobody really cared about each other. With Ivory right on the ambassador's tail, Xavier and Daniel begin running after her. Ivory, knowing that the boys are right behind her, runs up a staircase, still wearing her heels. She approaches a small ledge and takes a leap off it, grabbing onto a hanging banister mid-air and swinging across. With other agents on the ground to pursue her, Xavier and Daniel decide to run for the ambassador to make sure that he's safe.

The moment Ivory lands on the ground, Merida begins picking up dropped heels and whipping them at her. As of right now, Merida is grateful for her perfect aim and discarded pointy shoes.

Some of the shoes hit Ivory but she brushes off the pain as though it never hit her. Ivory opens a slit on the side of her dress and pulls out a gun that was strapped to her thigh. She points it at Merida and begins firing. Merida dives to the side and hides behind a table. Ivory spins around and sees a violinist who stands on a chair to point her instrument directly at her. Ivory recognizes her, despite the darkness at the time, from the other night in Miami when she was attempting to steal the ring. Angela cocks her shotgun which was cleverly disguised as a violin and begins firing at her.

With another gun in her hands, Ivory begins spinning around to fire at both Angela and Merida unexpectedly. Angela jumps down to take cover. Once Ivory is out of ammunition in both her guns, she doesn't bother to reload. She discards her weapons and begins running. Angela and Merida begin chasing after her down the hallways.

-o-

Ivory sprints and sees a doorway where she knows she can snatch that brooch. With her eyes narrowed on that open door, she suddenly sees a tiny man grow into a normal-sized one. She pauses when she sees him point an electrified fist at her, amazed at the powers she finally gets to see in person. Ivory coos at James which causes him to turn his head at her unexpected reaction.

"Bye bye..." She mutters to him with a little wave of her fingers.

Confused, James thinks back to what she could mean by that odd farewell and the only moment that come to mind is when Ivory kissed him on the dance floor.

That's when it hits him.

 _"You also can't arrest me if you don't catch me..."_

After she said that, she kissed him. This was all planned.

James is about to fire at her but then falls to the ground. Ivory grins as she steps over him and runs off. James rolls around and attempts to fire at her but ends up holding himself in a growing, crapming pain in his stomach.

Angela and Merida come running. Angela hops over James to continue chasing Ivory as Merida immediately deals with James.

"Are you dying?" Merida asks, kneeling down to check his vitals. She put two of her fingers on his neck and his wrist, all while opening his eyes even wider to check his pupils.

"I'm not dying, Merida," James says before clamming up. "I - hopefully - know how to fix this."

"Good. Then I can tell you to go to hell and not feel bad about it."

-o-

Xavier and Daniel sprint through the hallways of the gala, chasing Ivory. Xavier pulls out his gun from his holster and begins firing at Ivory. Ivory turns around for a brisk second just to see what she's being followed by. Her eyes meet theirs and for a moment, the boys were frozen in hypnosis at her devastatingly beautiful looks. She snickers to herself, shaking her head at the weakness the male species has for a beautiful woman. She pulls off a jewel from the collar of her dress and holds it in her hands. She keeps it in her grip as she bursts through a door and begins running down a staircase. The moment she hears the two men entering the stairwell, Ivory stops.

Ivory peeks over the railing and looks up at the two agents. She whips the jewel from her dress and watches as Xavier catches it. He looks at it and then at Ivory. She mimics a fake explosion with her hands, making a circle with her lips. Xavier notices the jewel beeping a small red light.

Xavier throws the jewel as Daniel throws himself in front of his friend. Ivory jumps over the railing, falling to the bottom and landing on her own feet. All of that happens as the jewel blows up.

-o-

Angela runs up to the rooftop where Ivory was only steps ahead. She figures that Ivory has no escape from the rooftop in mere seconds but when she makes it there, Ivory is gone. Angela heads over to the edge and peeks over. There's no Ivory in sight, even with facial recognition technology scanning everyone below. Angela doesn't understand how she could've escaped, though, she was only in a ballgown and couldn't have made it farther than her eyesight in the short amount of time. Angela looks out to the streets and sees guests from the gala leaving in a hurry. There's no sign of alarming chaos that should get her attention and that's the only part of this whole failed mission that relieves her.

"Ivory's gone," Angela says softly into her coms, "I lost her."

 _Xavier: Don't blame yourself. She outsmarted all of us._

 _Daniel: The ambassador's out and he's heavily secured. That's a good sign, right?_

"But that won't stop her from pursuing him," Angela continues, bringing a hand to her forehead as she begins heading back inside. "How will we tell the council this?"

 _Merida: The council most likely already knows. Hell, they probably knew we'd lose the moment we entered the ballroom - and she wasn't ever there yet! They'll have some choice words to use because we're such disgraces to everyone, especially our parents. What would our parents say right now? 'Where was your training? Did you shut off your SHIELD brains?' Oh, and does anyone know the cure for cyanide because Ivory poisoned James via lipstick._

 _James: I can handle myself!_

 _Merida: You're squirming on the floor. You can barely get up._

Angela sighs disappointedly as she begins running back inside to meet the rest of her team.

-o-

 _Quinjet - 1:34 AM_

"You guys know that I'm smart as well," a currently-dying James tells his teammates while cooking himself a cyanide cure with Daniel's assistance.

The team is silent as the stand back as James cures himself. They're all looking at the ground, waiting for the council to call on one of them. The council was skeptical to start this initiative in the first place and now they have a right to be. The team all mentally rehearse the debriefing one of them will have to face with perfect responses to whatever the council will throw at them.

James takes some cyanide antidotes and charcoal capsules before heading off to take a nap to allow the cure to sit in. That makes it more likely for everyone else to get called on by the council since he's unable to attend a debriefing, which they all dread.

"You're not mad that Ivory kissed James?" Xavier asks his twin.

To everyone's surprise, Angela looks up and shakes her head. Her boyfriend did have a playboy reputation in the past and she didn't really let it anger her then so why would it ruin her now? Even though James was close to death, she still wasn't mad.

"I have more important things to be angry at," she replies. Xavier nods, understanding her point.

Suddenly, the group gets a call from their tablet from a SHIELD secretary. Nobody wants to pick it up but answering urgent calls is basically an order so they follow.

 _SHIELD Secretary: The council would like to see Agent Barton._

Nobody responds. The top guesses for receiving a debriefing and scolding from the council on behalf of the whole team were Angela and Xavier.

"I'll be right there," Merida replies unenthusiastically, hanging up the call.

As she exits the room, she gives her team a reassuring look that says that everything will be fine right before swearing under her breath in Russian about how much she hates the council.

-o-

 _Location Classified - 1:47 AM_

Merida faces the council in their holographic forms. Unlike Xavier, she goes for the unprofessional approach. Her expression is slightly angered with her arms crossed and weight balancing on one hip. Her eyes look straight into the ones of the council members, saying that she's ready to take whatever they will throw at her, no matter how harsh and condescending it will be.

"Ivory Gates has somehow gotten the brooch," one member starts.

"There were five of you and one of her, how could this have happened?" Another adds.

"You're all supposed to be professionals."

The comments and reprimands that reek of disappointment and frustration keep rolling in. Merida keep her arms crossed, letting all that's being said go through one ear and out the other. She isn't phased by it. Hell, she isn't offended.

"Are you giving us attitude, Merida?" One member asks even though they know the answer is yes.

Merida playfully shrugs, adding to the attitude. She knows that the reason they used her first name instead of her title was to emphasize how serious this situation was _supposed_ to be.

"This is not a joke," they try to tell her. "If you do not take this debriefing or the failure of your mission seriously, then - "

"What are you going to do?" Merida asks, cutting them abruptly. "Fire me? Are you actually willing to fire Agent _Merida Barton_ , daughter of The Black Widow and Hawkeye who just happens to be two of The Avengers and the world's greatest assassins? Go right ahead, I dare you. I speak five languages fluently and have an expertise in all things combat, marksmanship, and aviation. Not to mention that I can get references from any of the other Avengers and even Director Fury himself. Needless to say, I can easily work for whatever government agency I want and can blow yours to bits with just the right arrow."

The council is speechless.

"If you want to get Ivory Gates so bad," Merida tells them, "then chase her yourself!"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- time to suit up.**


	8. The Suavest Spy: Part Five

_**Recap**_ **\- After Ivory's escape, James had to cure himself of poisoning just as Merida had an escalating debriefing with the council.**

* * *

Chapter Eight: The Suavest Spy Part Five

 _Quinjet - 1:52 AM_

Merida shuffles back to where the team is. When she sees them, they're all surprised to see her. Merida walks in cautiously, fearing she may be the reason but then returns to her normal way of walking when she realizes that she couldn't be. However, the eyes of her friends never leave her and instead of being suspicious, Merida becomes annoyed from the staring and no talking.

"What?" Merida asks abruptly.

"The council gave us Ivory's next target," Xavier replies, handing her the tablet with all the new information.

"You're surprised?" Merida asks, taking the tablet and scanning through the next mission file. "You shouldn't be."

"I could've sworn they were going to take us off this mission."

"Especially since I technically failed this mission _twice_ on their standards," Angela adds.

"What did you say to them?" Daniel asks Merida.

Merida looks up from the tablet and turns it off before putting it back on the table. She places her hands on the holographic table, lightly gripping the sides as she rests her weight against it in the form of a somewhat push-up. Merida thinks back to the meeting she had only a few minutes ago, remembering their appalled reactions towards her unprofessional behavior. That causes her to smile a little to herself from the corner of her mouth which her friends do not understand one bit.

"Are you going to tell us...?" Angela asks.

"Right," Merida replies, standing up straight again. She lost her attention for a moment as she got trapped in the pleasant memory. "I basically told the council that if they don't like our strategies then they should get off their holographic asses and find Ivory themselves. They don't own saving the world. They just feel powerful enough to boss around the heroes. We got the mission because why would they ever want to leave the comfort of their desks to get their hands dirty?"

They are all impressed with her, not even surprised at her strategy. Despite the years since high school, some or most parts of Merida have remained the same.

"Leave it to you to save the day," Xavier says to her. Merida beams in pride. "Now, get us on a route to Sydney."

-o-

For once in his life, James is gracious to wake up. For the billionth time in his life, James is grateful that he was smart enough to get himself out of another problem a pretty girl has gotten him into. Speaking of pretty girls, his girlfriend is sitting on the edge of his bed, all suited up for a mission.

"What's going on?" James asks, sitting up in his bed even though Angela orders him not to. He still goes through with it.

"We're going after Ivory," Angela responds. "You in?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm all energized now. Just catch me up."

Angela's still hesitant on James' health since he was just poisoned by the girl they're going to be chasing after, but James insists on knowing. Angela pulls out the tablet to show him the information.

"Ivory's next target is the Great Pearl of Sydney," Angela tells him. "It's presently held in the Sydney Antiquity Center which the labs were saying Ivory was photographing this morning while disguised as a common tourist. She's already stolen the world's most valuable treasures – minus the ring - and this pearl is the greatest of them all. Ivory will definitely go back for the ring after this and we can't let her get away. We've already failed this once as a team and it would be embarrassing for all of us to lose a second"

James nods his head, stretching his limbs a little, feeling brand new despite almost dying moments ago. He looks at Angela and sees that she's completely calm and seemingly neutral towards recent events. Angela catches him staring and knows that this isn't his usual _'I'm staring because you're hot and I want to kiss you'_ face.

"What is it?" Angela asks him.

"I thought you would be mad at me," he responds.

"It'd be insensitive of me to be angry at you considering the fact that you were dying."

"Angela, you know I don't mean that."

"I know." She smiles a little. "James, you dated and kissed a lot of girls right in front of my eyes back when we were in high school yet not dating said girl. Even when we were together that would't stop you from looking at others. I didn't say anything because I know you were committed and looking at other girls is just who you are as a person. If I wasn't mad at you then, why would I be now?

"Because another girl kissed me and we _are_ dating!"

He didn't expect to yell. He expected Angela to yell back at him for his yelling but she still has her perky smile plastered on her face.

"Exactly," she states, "I'm mad at Ivory, not you. I'm actually mad at her for a lot of reasons but this one takes the cake."

James sighs out of relief. "You are amazing."

Angela smirks in his face. Now, James looks at her with his usual expression. He leans in to kiss her but she blocks him with her hand.

"If you're coming to fight, then suit up and smooch later," she says, getting up and leaving the room.

-o-

 _Sydney, Australia - 23:11 PM_

Sydney's city is peaceful as the night sky rolls in. Waves rock back and forth in the ocean and the last of the cars drive on home. Streetlights illuminate the sky, helping the sky in providing light for the city. The museum stands tall and peaceful since it's well past its closing hours.

But that doesn't mean the museum is empty.

On the glass rooftop of Sydney's antiquity center, Ivory scales the building, flat on her stomach, using suction pads on her hands, feet, and knees to stick to the all-glass building. Once she makes it to the top, she stops, peering down into the inside of the museum below. She carves a circle in the glass ceiling and uses the suction cups on her hands to pop the piece off and put it off to the side. Ivory spins 90 degrees around on her stomach and slides her legs inside. While holding herself up, she pulls out a rope from her belt, secures it tightly on a pipe on the roof and begins rappelling down.

Ivory's feet touch the ground and she begins running on her toes towards the safe. She spots the computer-generated security and quickly by-passes it. Ivory disarms it and being cranking open the safe. As the door opens, Ivory turns over her shoulder to check for any guards circling the corner.

None in sight.

Ivory turns back around, expecting the face the shining pearl but sees Angela and Xavier standing there in front of the pearl. Ivory doesn't move because her eyes are too focused on the two agents in her way. She definitely recognizes the both of them and even notices the similarities in their appearances.

"Twins, eh?" Ivory asks with a little grin creeping on the corner of her mouth. "Well, it's great seeing the two of you again but I'm afraid I can't stay to chat. I have a package to pick up."

"You mean this?" Angela asks, opening her arms to the precious pearl that sits on a box filled with red satin fabric.

"Actually, yes."

Ivory lunges forwards and Xavier grabs her from the back, wrapping his arm around her neck in order to cut her oxygen and knock her out. Ivory gasps for air, digging her nails into his arm. Instead, she pushes herself up to kick over Angela. Once Ivory's back on the ground, she tries to throw Xavier over her back but he's bigger than her. Instead, Ivory crouches over and pulls something from her belt.

"Xavier!" Angela exclaims.

Ivory stands back up with a knife in her hands. From the ground on her back, Angela thrusts her hips up, kicking the knife away. Ivory forces herself back into the wall, crashing Xavier into it. He loses his grip and she extends her arm, snatching the pearl. As she makes her escape, Angela grabs Ivory's ankle, sending her to the ground as well. The pearl escapes her hands and Ivory scrambles for it.

With the pearl only fingertips away, Ivory almost snatches it again but pauses when she hears a gun cock. Her head turns a little and she sees Xavier pointing a gun at her. She snickers, having a hand hovering over her belt. Ivory slowly stands up with her back facing the twins and puts her hands above her head with bent elbows. Ivory turns around to face them in a surrendering motion but at the flick of her fingers, another knife appears and she chucks it at a painting on the wall, setting off its alarm.

The alarms begin blaring as red lights flash inside the museum, distorting their visions. Ivory manages to pick up the pearl and sprints back to her rope to begin climbing out. As that was going on, Xavier begins firing at Ivory. Angela picks up the knife Ivory used earlier and whips it, hoping it would either graze her or cut the rope.

Neither happens and Ivory makes her escape from the hole she carved earlier. Angela and Xavier stand right from where Ivory's rope is, looking up at the kleptomaniac making her exit.

"And what part of your plan was that?" Angela asks him, taking out a device to turn off the alarms.

"Part one," Xavier replies. "I didn't hear you complaining when it worked."

"The alarms weren't supposed to happen. When did your plan go as it was written down as?"

"In my dreams."

* * *

 **! Quick Question, do you guys want daily updates? Since I have about 42 chapters of this story so far, I am willing to do daily updates if you guys want. Or if you want alternating days then I could do that too. Just let me know.**

 _ **Stay Tuned**_ **\- Part two of Xavier's plan will be on its way.**


	9. The Suavest Spy: Part Six

**I will be doing daily updates since that is what you all want. I was going to do daily updates anyways since I need space on the document manager.**

 _ **Recap**_ **\- After being given Ivory's next target, the team came to face her in Sydney but let Ivory leave with the pearl.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Suavest Spy Part Six

 _Sydney, Australia - 23:50 PM_

Ivory climbs out the way she entered and sees oncoming cop cars. She pulls out her rope and uses it to quickly slide down the side of the building. Once she reaches the ground, she hides in the shadows and calls her motorcycle. She hears it coming but sees it being ridden by someone else. The person on it removes the helmet and Ivory sees a flood of red curls pour of out the helmet. Ivory opens her eyes wide, not expecting this at all.

"I'm sorry, was this yours?" Merida asks, revving the engine of the motorcycle.

In response, Ivory snickers as she begins running off in the opposite direction. Merida pulls out her gun and begins firing at her. Ivory activates a jet-pack and begins flying off. Merida holsters her gun and takes our her bow as she to begin following Ivory along with the roads.

"Not used to people stealing from you, huh?!" Merida exclaims at Ivory.

Merida doubts that Ivory heard her...or that the motorcycle was even hers, to begin with.

Merida zips past the past cars on the roads, cutting them off and receiving honks and cuss words from the drivers. She has trouble driving a motorcycle and keeping her eyes on the road while keeping her eyes on Ivory at the same time, especially since her driving isn't following the Australian road rules, and she's firing arrows at Ivory as well.

Merida keeps her eyes on Ivory and at one point, Ivory turns back and smirks at her. Merida scowls. Ivory turns back around and takes a sudden turn at a building. Merida turns her bike and slams on the brakes before crashing into a nearby streetlight. She huffs, watching Ivory fly farther away.

"That's right," Merida says, "keep on flying. Hopefully, you fly into the sun."

Ivory passes another building, thinking gratefully to herself that she finally got the redhead off her trail but little did she notice James running on the edge of a rooftop. He picks up his speed and leaps off the edge with a lot of strength in his push-off. He grabs onto Ivory's ankle which takes her by surprise. Ivory swings around at the impact of James' weight on her leg. Her arms shoot up and the pearl's box goes flying in the air.

"No!" Ivory exclaims.

James shrinks down and begins flying for the pearl as does Ivory. She pulls out a gun and begins firing at him. James fires back with his bio-electricity shots. As the two of them race for the pearl before it hits the ground, Ivory manages to snag it as her jet-pack loses its power. Ivory lands on the ground, sliding across the concrete as the pearl escapes her hand again, only mere centimeters away.

Ivory stretches her arm forwards to reach the pearl but stops when a hand steps on her arm. She looks up and sees Daniel. He waves at her as he picks the pearl.

"Lucky for you," Daniel says, approaching them from the end of the sidewalk. "Your jet pack has been stopped by this EMP."

Daniel shows her the little device. Ivory looks up at him with a smile, one that reads that she would love to have it in her hands after she's stolen it.

"What kind of toy is that?" Ivory asks.

"One that my curvy brunette made with her many olives," Daniel replies.

Ivory snickers. "She is creative as she is intelligent."

Daniel snickers the same way. "Nice try."

"What?"

Daniel raises an eyebrow as a way to tell her to turn around. Ivory does so and sees Merida and James standing right there with their weapons pointed at her. In other words, Ivory is completely cornered with no other option but to surrender.

-o-

Back at the museum, SHIELD authorities have shown up as the rest of Project: New Generation meets up. Angela and Xavier return the pearl to the museum's curator. Ivory, who is now weaponless and bound, gets placed in a SHIELD car that will take her to the prisons. Once the car door closes, Ivory looks right at the team who stands nearby in a straight line watching her. Ivory smiles at them, almost as if she's happy to go to prison.

"Till we meet again," Ivory tells them, sending them a kiss as the car drives off.

"I hope that never happens," Angela mutters, crossing her arms.

"Until then..." James mutters. He quickly grabs Angela to kiss her, taking her by surprise. "I wanted to make sure that you were the last girl I kissed before I die."

Angela wraps her arms around his shoulders and puts a hand on his cheek. She did promise that they could smooch later and since the job is now done, she kisses him again.

Merida rolls her eyes. Again, some parts from high school never seem to go.

"And SHIELD said _I_ was the unprofessional one," Merida scoffs. "Daniel, would you stab one of my arrows into my eye sockets so I won't have to see this?"

Merida looks over her shoulder and sees that Daniel is no longer standing beside her because he decided to go talk to the museum's curator. Merida rolls her eyes at Daniel's interest for knowledge which is most likely what they're talking about. She looks and sees Xavier still standing on her other sid.

"Xavier, would you?" Merida asks, holding an arrow in her hands for him to use.

"As much as I would like to, I better make sure nothing happens as they lock Ivory up," Xavier replies, getting in another one of the SHIELD cars.

"Seriously?!" Merida yells at him as the car drives off.

-o-

 _SHIELD Prisons - 4:52 AM_

Ivory sits crossed-legged in her cell, right on top of her perfectly made bed. Her hair and makeup are still in perfect condition as she wears the standard light blue jumpsuit. To pass the time, she braids her hair without needing to look at the actions her hands are doing. Many guards pass her cell, keeping their eyes on her and every time they make eye contact, she spares them a wink. Suddenly, she hears some more footsteps in the distance and her head perks up when she doesn't see just another prison guard.

"You avoided the topic," Ivory tells him, uncrossing her legs and sitting properly.

Xavier looks at her as she drops her hair to focus on their exchanged words, seeming interested into having a conversation with him.

"What topic?" Xavier asks.

"At the gala, I mentioned a girl from your past and you spun me away," Ivory replies. "It was as if you didn't want to open up a wound that never seemed to heal. You weren't doing that to protect her because you know she can protect herself. You were protecting yourself, weren't you?"

Xavier says nothing. Ivory grins evilly, thinking she finally broke him. Xavier, looking at the ground, smiles sadly to himself before meeting Ivory's eyes again with a hint of contentedness in his own eyes.

"Her name was Britney Braun," Xavier tells her. "We spent all of high school together and we were happy – we were in love, actually. She wore tight clothes that showed skin and matching bright lipstick. She had the kind of laugh you'd want to save as a ringtone and a smile that will stay in your memory forever. She was beautiful and other boys would check her out but I didn't complain. I liked knowing that she was mine and she felt the same about a boy like me. A relationship like ours shouldn't have worked for many reasons but it did and I can't be happier that it happened. I loved her before she found out the truth about herself and her self-discovery only made me love her more." He sighs. "Then she left because she had to and I didn't want her to stay because she has a life up there that she needs to figure out."

Ivory's grin disappears, almost as if she pities him. And judging by how soft her face becomes, it's genuine.

"Why are you telling me all this _now_?" Ivory asks.

She didn't see a point in Xavier telling her all this now that she was behind bars. He seemed fine, if not happy, with telling her all about this Britney Braun from his high school days. She hints that he had a reason for telling her this now and not at the dance.

Xavier is now the one grinning which only makes Ivory more confused. He takes a step closer to the glass of her cell.

"To show you that you can't break me emotionally by getting to my heart because I don't have one," Xavier responds. "An Asgardian sorceress has it and I wouldn't trust anyone else with it."

Xavier walks away, leaving Ivory speechless.

* * *

 **Oh, look, my shattering heart...all of you Britney and Xavier shippers can just cry with me. Where can I find a boy who would talk about me the way he talks about Britney? Answer: my imagination.**

 _ **Stay Tuned**_ **\- a little trip down memory lane for the group...**


	10. Camp SHIELD

**My goal for this story as of this summer is to have at least part one of this story up (which is more or less sixty chapters) by the time I get back to school. I think I'll have more though...**

 ** _Note_ \- this chapter is mostly flashbacks so the dates will be provided in the subtitles. **

* * *

Chapter Ten: Camp SHIELD

 _Quinjet - Present Day - 19:57 PM_

"Here's to our first mission," Xavier says, putting a case of beer bottles on the coffee table in front of the team.

Everyone takes a chilled bottle of beer in their hands and hold them up to clink before popping the cap off and taking a sip. The coolness of the beverage going down their throats relieves them from the tensions they had to endure with Ivory. All except Angela finish the bottle except since she cringed after the first sip and puts the bottle back on the table with the one remaining bottle from the pack of six.

"I appreciate the gesture but I hate beer," Angela says, coughing as she gets up from her seat to get a glass of water.

"It was five of us against one," Daniel says, thinking about that statement for a bit. The others do the same. "If that was so challenging, just imagine if _all_ of us were actually here."

"Oh god..." Merida mutters, finishing her beer. "I miss the others and all but let's not think about that - especially since three-quarters of those not here will be the reason why we fail."

The others laugh to themselves at that comment. From what they remembered, Apollo was a carefree spirit who didn't care about much, Emily had her head looking at her own reflection, and Sigyn's head was all over the place. They would definitely fail missions with them in the picture. Iqadi, on-the-other-hand, would be a great assistance to the team.

"At least it wasn't as bad as Camp SHIELD," James states about the Ivory mission.

"Speak for yourself!" Merida yells at him. "Camp SHIELD was hell. I would much rather see Ivory again than go back there."

"Camp SHIELD wasn't _that_ bad," James says. "You guys had it easy at specialists."

" _Easy_?" Angela scoffs. "It was certainly not _easy_ at Operations."

"You think Science and Technology was a breeze?" James questions. "I will challenge you at that."

"Bring it on," Merida says, standing in the middle of the twins. "Operations vs Science and Technology. Who had the worst experience?"

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Operations Program) - Seven Years Ago - 5:45 AM_

One early morning before the standardized training drills, Xavier stands in the bathroom, brushing his teeth as he looks at his reflection in the mirror. His cabin mates walk around the room, still getting ready for the day in a rush since they're all due outside in fifteen minutes. Punctuality was a key factor in succeeding and surviving Camp SHIELD because if you're late, they will certainly not be late in kicking you out.

"Hey, Rogers," one of the cabin mates called, throwing Xavier a protein bar. Xavier looks at him as he catches it. "You have any aftershave I can borrow?"

Xavier spits into the sink. "Just check my bag."

As Xavier finishes up, he hears his bag being opened. His eyebrows wrinkle in a slight confusion when he hears sounds of cooing, almost. Was that whistling? He didn't expect to hear that from future SHIELD specialists over a bottle of aftershave. Xavier peeks out and sees the boys looking at something else in his bag that wasn't aftershave.

"Hey!" Xavier exclaims, running out of the bathroom.

He pounces on the others, stretching out to reclaim the belongings that he didn't give them permission to touch, but they all hold him back.

"Who's this girl?" A boy asks Xavier. "She's very hot."

"My girlfriend - well, ex-girlfriend - it's very complicated."

"You do know that technology has advanced tremendously since hard-copy photography."

"I know."

"Then why keep physical photos?"

"I still like my photos the same way I still love my girl - really and _physically_ there."

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Science and Technology Program) - Seven Years Ago - 12:34 PM_

Daniel walks into his cabin with all his suitcases rolling by his sides and duffel bags on his shoulders. He sees his cabin mates all sitting on one bed, sharing a laptop while watching a video. Seeing as they're busy, Daniel takes the bed that has nothing on it since he assumes it to be free. He throws a suitcase on top and hears a familiar voice coming from the laptop.

 _"I am wearing a dress from an upcoming designer."_

Daniel smiles to himself, hearing the voice of his fiancée, just as a second voice chimes from the laptop.

 _Reporter: A few media sources have been speculating about that certain ring on your finger. You've been spotted wearing it to charity galas, to Stark Industries for work, to even the grocery store. Is that, by chance, an engagement ring?_

 _Emily: It has been for a few months now._

Suddenly, all the boys in front of the laptop screech like banshees, startling Daniel. All of them start to complain about Emily Stark being engaged since he didn't realize that they _idolized_ her. To them, she was a girl who was outspoken, beautiful, and smart - everything they ever wanted in a girl. Daniel remains silent, enjoying this moment to himself.

"Hey, you must be Daniel, right? Daniel Banner? Our roomie?" One of the other boys greets, making his way over to help him with his bags.

"I am," Daniel replies.

"Did you have any idea Emily Stark was engaged?" Another asks.

"I actually knew for those few months."

"What?! How could you possibly know?! She kept it for so long. She must have been engaged ever since she got out of high school!"

"She was."

All the dudes look at him, wondering how he knows all this information.

"I was the one who proposed," Daniel tells them.

And that was another reason for Daniel to be envied.

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Operations Program) - Seven Years Ago - 24:59 AM_

After a hard day of rigorous training, Merida finally got to sleep in her cabin with the other girls. The cabin itself was more on the rustic, camping side, nothing high-tech like SHIELD's own facilities. The most advanced pieces of equipment they have on them were two outlets by the door (which was hard to manage for six girls sharing one cabin). When the girls all came here, they knew the cabins weren't penthouse suites but they knew the cabins were habitable.

That is until the roof sprung a leak.

Merida grunts in her sleep as drops of water start to hit her face. She wakes up and sees that there are several leaks in her cabin that only seem to be getting stronger by the second. It hits her instantly that this isn't a leak...SHIELD is flooding them in.

"Wake the fuck up!" Merida exclaims to everyone, getting pushed over by a water current.

All the girls burst out of bed. Some try to block the water with their clothes and bedsheets while others attempt to break the windows to get the water out, but the current only comes in stronger.

"The door is locked!" Another one yells.

With the water now up to their hips, they all begin pounding the windows until they're forced to swim. Once the water becomes too much, all of them are forced to hold their breaths and swim underwater, still trying to get out. Nothing can penetrate the windows or get the door open, especially through the medium they're currently in.

After five minutes of holding their breaths, all the water drains out on its own. Merida and the others stumble on their feet, gasping for air. All the other girls begin cursing and complaining about everything they own now being soaked, threatening SHIELD for ruining their belongings. Merida only wrings out her hair.

"I'm going back to sleep," Merida says.

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Science and Technology Program) - Seven Years Ago - 20:37 PM_

James stands in the middle of an airplane, soaring high above the sky. He's wearing a standardized SHIELD jumpsuit equipped with a helmet, goggles, gun holsters, and most important, a parachute. He stands in the middle of a lineup on the shaky aircraft and jumps out with the others.

The sky is dark and rain has started to pour. James mumbles to himself about how sick he is going to be after this. Fog has appeared and he rolls his eyes, not even knowing if he'll be landing on the flat ground or an ocean (although knowing SHIELD, he wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter).

"Open!" The agent in charge orders all the recruits.

When the parachutes open, they all fly up a few feet before floating down once again. The rain has started to pour harder and thunder rumbles the sky. It's not safe to be parachuting with these weather conditions but James knows that SHIELD found it to be the best time to train since _'you'll be in way worse situations if you even graduate from the Academy._ '

When lightning cracks the sky, some of the recruits gasp and one screams from pure fear.

"Who screamed?!" The agent in command demands.

James bites down on his lips and is prepared to deny the fact that he screamed up to his deathbed (especially since there would be a punishment he never wants). He makes a mental reminder to himself to confront Apollo and/or Iqadi about the lightning the next time he sees them.

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Operations Program) - Seven Years Ago - 16:44 PM_

Angela successfully finished sprinting the distance a good ten minutes ahead of everyone else. She heads over to her bag, getting her water bottle. Though she barely broke a sweat, she still dumps some water on her head. The head agent approaches her and she stands up straight, trying not to breathe so loud.

"Rogers, you could do better," the head agent tells her.

Angela has no immediate response. She takes a breath, making she heard what was just told to her correctly. The only reasons she's surprised is because she expected praise of some sort for being the first to finish.

"But I finished before everyone else by _a lot_ ," Angela argues. "There are people still running. Someone passed out back there!"

"I know," the agent responds. "I just expected more out of you given that you're Captain America's daughter."

As the agent walks off to check on the other recruits, Angela stands alone, putting two fingers to her neck. Her heart was racing more now than while she was running.

* * *

 **This would be an example of those light-hearted chapters that will come in between story arcs (their missions).**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- a whole lot more Camp SHIELD memories**


	11. Help Me, Please

**If I were at Camp SHIELD, I would be the first one to die.**

 ** _Recap_ \- a little trip down the terrible road of Camp SHIELD memories...**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Help Me, Please

 _Camp SHIELD (Operations Program) - Seven Years Ago - 7:30 AM_

Early one morning, Angela sits on her cabin bed, looking at the bright blue screen of her laptop. She waits for her video chat to work and it's taking longer than usual since she's using her own data instead of wifi. One of the downsides that came with Camp SHIELD was bad cell service and no provided Internet since they believe in cleansing from technology and finding other means of communication that could be useful if one day you become stranded while on a mission. When her call succeeds, she smiles brightly at the sight of her parents back home in Brooklyn.

After all the greetings, Angela takes a breath before the reveal of the reason behind her call.

"Mom, Dad, I hate it here," Angela states.

Her parents don't respond or move. Angela thinks for a moment that her computer froze but in reality, her parents did.

 _Peggy: Why? Camp SHIELD was so much fun for me._

Angela rolls her eyes to herself. Because you were a trainer and got to torture recruits."

 _Peggy: Hey, I was on both ends of that spectrum. I had to start where you are in order to get the chance to be on the other side. Besides, it was more fun being a recruit._

"Mom..." Angela mutters.

 _Steve: Ignore your mother, what is it?_

Angela sighs. "I am doing my best and nobody here cares. They're comparing me to you. Apparently, my best isn't good enough because it isn't even _close_ to your worst. I'm not a female clone of you, dad, why don't they realize that? Why can't they just praise me for what I'm able to do?

 _Steve: Because you're not a dog._

Angela blinks before rolling her eyes. "Dad, that's not my point." Her shoulders drop. "Can you pick me up? I don't want to be here anymore."

 _Peggy: Even if we could, what kind of parents would we be? We'd be the worst parents ever for letting you give up like this. Also, we're with SHIELD and they'll probably demote us for that as well._

 _Steve: Camp SHIELD is also classified so we don't know where it is._

Angela narrows her eyes at them. "Thanks for the help."

 _Steve: How's your brother?_

"Better than me, I guess."

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Science and Technology Program) - Seven Years Ago - 12:55 PM_

"Easy..." Daniel mutters to James. "Don't rush."

"Sometimes I want to rush just so you'd be quiet."

Daniel huffs. "Well, sometimes I tell you to slow down because you go too quick."

James rolls his eyes.

The two of them stand in a laboratory, in front of an experience in-progress. Both of them wearing lab coats and safety goggles with gloves. Daniel holds the clipboard, writing down the lab report and the corresponding equations as James performs the actual experiment.

James pours a translucent substance in a green chemical that simmers over a bunsen burner. When the two liquids make contact with each other, they sizzle. James puts the test tube down and watches as nothing happens. James taps his foot restlessly as Daniel writes notes for the report.

"That was anti-climatic," James says, disappointed.

"That's because you rush to conclusions," Daniel replies, not looking up from his writing.

"Well, excuse me if - "

James cuts himself off when he sees the beaker starting to smoke. He runs over to the fire extinguisher and points it at the beaker as Daniel remains calm and unphased by all this. At one point, James gets too scared of anything threatening that would happen if that beaker kept on boiling.

"Take cover!" James says, throwing himself on top of Daniel for protection.

Both boys hit the ground, papers from their lab report flying everywhere. James covers his ears, curling in a fetal position with the fire extinguisher wrapped inside his body. Daniel merely sits up, gathers his papers and pencil, and continues writing. James looks at him and slowly unravels himself, realizing that nothing exploded.

"So it worked?" James questions.

"Of course it worked," Daniel replies as if it was a given. "It's science that we're in charge of. I never doubted its success. We planned it out and followed the steps. How could it have gone wrong?"

"Then why did it take so long and started smoking?"

Daniel grins. "Because you rush."

-o-

 _Camp SHIELD (Operations Program) - Seven Years Ago - 8:15 AM_

Angela is still chatting with her parents in video chat. Suddenly, she hears someone knocking on her cabin window. Angela stretches over her bed to see who it is. Merida waves at her and not to say hello but to tell her to get out.

"I'll call you back sometime," Angela says.

 _Peggy: Have fun, Sweetie._

 _Steve: Tell your brother to call us._

"I will," Angela says. "Love you."

Angela blows her parents a kiss before ending the call. She closes her laptop and grabs a sweater before running outside to meet Merida. The two of them walk freely around the campsite. On the first and last Sunday each month, the Camp SHIELD recruits got a free day to themselves where they could do whatever they wanted as long as it was appropriate and within the perimeter.

"Have you spoken to your parents ever since you got here?" Angela asks.

The two girls reached a set of targets with an array weapons stationed to the side. Merida picks up a bow and makes Angela hold the quiver full of arrows since she didn't plan to do anything.

"No," Merida replies, loading her bow. "They're on a mission."

"I thought they retired."

"At this point, I think their missions are more of a hobby than a duty."

As Merida continuously fires arrows at a target, Angela looks up at the nearby cliffside where she sees some recruits scaling the rock and rappelling down. Little does she know that Xavier is one of those recruits. Meanwhile with Xavier, he and the other boys can clearly distinguish with the help of binoculars that the two girls down there are Angela and Merida.

"Hey, Rogers," one of the guys calls.

"What?" Xavier asks.

"Want to help me with something?"

"I guess."

"Help me get a chance with Merida Barton."

If Xavier laughed any louder, Merida would've heard him from the bottom of the mountain. The guys around him don't really understand what's so funny but that's because they haven't grown up with Merida.

"You have a better chance at mating with a blood-thirsty shark," Xavier says, pushing himself off the cliffside to rappel down.

"Oh yeah?" The same guy questions, following Xavier down the cliffside. "And why's that?"

"Merida is not interested in anyone. I've kissed her before and trust me when I say that you're not missing out on much."

Suddenly, all the boys surrounding Xavier rappel down to his altitude at once, amazed by what they just heard (some jealous, maybe).

"You have some incredible luck with girls!" Someone chants at him.

"You may or may not have had a hot girlfriend, you've kissed Merida, you're friends with Emily Stark, and you have a hot twin." Another says. "Jeez, Xavier...give some to us."

"Whatever," the first dude says. "I still have a chance."

An arrow pierces the rocks beside him, causing him to almost lose his balance. He looks down and sees Angela and Merida laughing with her archery set.

"She totally wants me," he says hopefully.

"She wants you dead," Xavier tells him the truth.

-o-

 _Quinjet - Present Day - 20:03 PM_

All the beers are now empty. The room is divided: Science and Technology alumni versus the Operations. Only a coffee table with its empty beer bottles stand between the two sides.

"You guys had it easier!" Xavier yells at James and Daniel.

"What?!" The two boys respond.

"While we were sweating and getting bruised, you were making baking soda volcanos and putting mints in soda!" Angela argues.

James and Daniel's jaws drop in sync, both of them offended by what they heard.

"Seriously?" Daniel asks. "You really think we were doing sixth-grade science fair experiments?"

"That's what it sounded like to me," Angela says.

"Because it sounded like you guys were just swimming and rock climbing."

Merida holds up a fist. "SHIELD attempted to drown me!"

"I almost got struck by lightning!" James yells back.

The night ends with the ongoing debate on who had it worse at Camp SHIELD. Truth be told, it wasn't as bad as they depicted it to be.

* * *

 **The next chapter will be back to missions.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- And in this corner, we have - !**


	12. MojoWorld: Part One

**I swear on my life, I wrote this chapter/story arc way before the _Thor: Ragnarök_ movie or its trailer came out. Besides, I got this idea from somewhere else.**

 _ **Copyright**_ **: Avengers Assemble (Marvel Animation)**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: MojoWorld Part One

 _Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 21:33 PM_

Minutes later, it's only when they heard footsteps in the hallway that they knew their times is running out. There is probably more security guards monitoring the hall right outside the door they're hiding behind than what could fit in the room they crammed themselves in itself.

"We need a plan," Daniel whispers, quickly running a hand through his hair. "Seeing as we have to get through about, I don't know, twenty-five guys with guns with only the two of us."

"Twenty-six," Merida corrects casually.

Daniel looks at her, his only teammate on this mission without anyone else for backup. Even if they had their backup, they didn't have any time to call them nor did they have time to get here with their forces.

Merida clears her throat. "There are two per floor and we're on the thirteenth floor. There's our twenty-six. We can try the utility elevator but even then, there would be at least six more guys in the annex and another five in the west atrium. Even if the two of us manage to clear that, we would be facing at least another twenty-seven armed and trained operatives and that's not even including the standard perimeter."

Daniel has no response.

"Just follow me," Merida says, taking the lead.

She opens the door and walks out of the room cautiously. Daniel turns around, constantly checking if someone with a gun is approaching them. Merida approaches another door and presses her ear against it to listen to what's on the other side. Her eyes meet Daniel's and she tosses him a gun. He flinches a little as he catches it with two hands.

"You ready?" Merida whispers to him.

"Even if I say no, you're still going to charge in," Daniel replies, loading the gun.

Merida replies with a snarky grin and a kick towards the door. It pops off its hinges and Merida storms right in with a loaded bow, firing arrows like rapid fire. Daniel steps in, helping Merida out. Everyone in the room falls to the ground, shooting back with no luck. When all is quiet, Merida and Daniel hear approaching footsteps that sound like a trembling earthquake. The two of them throw themselves behind the desks, knowing that this hiding spot won't last. Merida reloads her bow as Daniel does the same with his gun.

"We're cornered," Daniel says. "The only door in this room is the one the storm will be entering from. There's no way out."

Merida snickers as she pulls out a little circular bomb from her utility belt. She sticks it on the window in front of them and presses it. As a small red light begins to flash, she looks at Daniel.

"There's always a way out," Merida tells him. "You trust me?"

"Of course," Daniel replies almost immediately.

"Then get ready to jump."

Merida and Daniel get up, covering their faces as the window shatters and glass shards fly all around. More armed forces burst through the door and the moment they begin firing, Merida and Daniel jump out the window. Mid-air and free-falling without a parachute, Merida quickly loads a grappling hook arrow in her bow. As she shoots it up, Merida uses her free hand and extends it towards Daniel. As he reaches for it, they - vanish into thin air.

-o-

 _Quinjet - 21:48 PM_

"Wait, what?!" Angela exclaims, staring at the live footage of Merida and Daniel's mission courtesy of the camera's from the neighboring building's security footage.

Angela rewinds the footage as Xavier and James stand closer. She plays the footage, this time in slow-motion. They watch as Merida and Daniel break through the window. As their friends are falling, attempting to rescue themselves, they disappear. The three of them have to rewatch the footage multiple times before accepting the fact that their friends literally disappeared in thin air and it's not a video glitch.

"What?!" Angela exclaims again.

"Merida! Daniel!" Xavier says into his comms. "Somebody please..."

There's no response from them. Only static.

James hesitates. Out of the whole team so far, he and Daniel are the experts in science and technology. With Daniel gone, that leaves only him. The twins look at James and he can only stare back.

"I - " James stutters, "I'm sure I can think of a possible explanation for this. Don't worry, they will be fine."

-o-

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

Merida doesn't remember landing flat on the ground. She wakes up in a room that's completely white, realizing that she isn't on the ground outside of the building she jumped out of. She rubs her eyes, clearing her vision and sees Daniel lying about three feet away from her with his arms sprawled out.

"Please don't be dead..." Merida mutters.

She repeats that mantra as she grabs her bow from beside her and begins crawling over to him. Her legs are slowly regaining consciousness the more she uses them. Merida takes Daniel's head in her hands and places two fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse. The moment her cold fingertips touch his warm neck, Daniel jerks awake and Merida sighs in relief. Merida holds his shoulders and calms him down, allowing him to absorb the area around them - which isn't really much.

"I know you have trick arrows but this is a little much," Daniel says.

"Daniel..." Merida whispers. "I have no clue where we are..."

Daniel's face drops. "Me neither."

At this point, neither of them know where they are, what happened, and what to do now.

Merida looks around the area they're in even though there is nothing to see but white emptiness. Daniel remains silent, knowing that if Merida Barton is worried, then they have a real problem with what might be ahead. The two of them stand up and Merida loads her bow.

Both of them flinch at the sound of mechanical gears being turned. Merida raises her bow until its perpendicular with her body. A shining light blinds both of them but when their eyes adjust, they finally see color with the sound of chanting, cheering, and applauding. Merida and Daniel look around and see that they're now in the center of an arena with a Roman colosseum vibe with an excited audience that seems to stretch on for miles with no end. There is a skylight in the ceiling above where they can see the sky full of night stars.

"Oh my god..." Merida mutters, trying to wrap her head around all this.

"Merida..." Daniel says, looking up.

On a four-way jumbotron above the audience, Merida and Daniel see their faces plastered on, scared and confused. The phrase _'Hulk with His Assistant'_ appears underneath in giant, animated letters. Both of their hearts suddenly stop, especially at the way they're addressed.

"Hulk?!" Daniel exclaims, suddenly feeling faint.

"Assistant?!" Merida exclaims, offended.

Both of them suddenly feel something bite their necks, feeling like a pinch. Merida picks off what was there and sees that in her hands are a little needle and not a bug of some sorts. Merida holds it up and sees that the vial component of the needle is empty.

"What the - ?" She starts.

"- hell!" Daniel exclaims, his voice deeper with a sharp stab of pain.

Merida shifts her weight from one foot to another and feels that nothing is happening to her. Whatever substance was in that vial is not harming her in any way whatsoever.

"Daniel," Merida says, "we're fine. Or we will be once we find the exit."

Merida turns around to face Daniel and sees his hunched over, holding himself as he grunts loudly in pain.

"Daniel - "

Merida tentatively reaches forwards, but Daniel stumbles back, swiping her away. She takes a few steps closer to him cautiously as he takes his head in his hands to block out the outside noise. Merida retracts her hand, only wondering how he's feeling the effects of the needle and not her. She slowly places a hand on his shoulder and Daniel flinches, screaming as he falls to the ground.

Flat on the ground and facing away from Merida, Daniel squeezes his eyes tightly shut. He grits his teeth, clenches his stomach, and slams a fist on the ground. He breaths and once his breaths are calm, his fist unclenches. Although, his body doesn't stop rattling.

"Whoever's in charge," Daniel starts, "they're not here for us. I don't know all the details, hell, I don't know any but I do know one thing: they won't kill us. At least, not yet. We'll have some time to figure all of this out."

Merida is unsure what to say but she knows that she has to say something. The last few seconds were too much for her to take all at once.

"What are you talking about?" Merida asks softly.

"I'm sorry, Merida," Daniel tells her. He turns and looks into her blue eyes with his brown ones that have turned bright green. "They want a Hulk fight."

* * *

 **So...did anyone see that coming?**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- You heard the man, they want a hulk fight!**


	13. MojoWorld: Part Two

**_About Ragnarök_ \- I actually have a Ragnarök storyline (again, also made it up before the movie) planned for this story but I don't think it will be anything like the movie itself. I'll get back to this once I watch the movie.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Merida and Daniel were in a mission that ended up in them disappearing to another location where a hulk fight is expected to entertain a giant crowd. Meanwhile, the others are just trying to figure out what the hell just happened.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: MojoWorld Part Two

 _Quinjet - 3:31 AM_

It's been about six hours since Merida and Daniel vanished from their mission.

Angela and Xavier have been on the phone with several agents in command, discussing their current problem and explaining their solutions. They had no current resolutions but lied to the other agents, saying that they had the issue under control and that the footage was tampered with to throw-off the ones who were shooting them. James, however, was being an actual wreck when it came to thinking about how their friends could have _actually_ vanished (which was the only explanation they have but couldn't tell the other agents that).

"I just need more time," James tells his remaining teammates. "I swear that I can get to the bottom of all this and we will get our friends alive. I mean, there's no way in hell that Merida would let herself or Daniel die on a mission."

James rambles on, running his hands through his already-messy hair. As of right now, he resembles an actual mad scientist and nobody knows when was the last time he drank something that wasn't caffeinated. He paces in his lab, staring at the holograms set before him and talking at a rate as fast as his flapping wings. One holographic screen shows the video of Merida and Daniel's disappearance on loop and the others have an endless array of equations to try and express what happened in terms of science and not plain magic. Angela and Xavier watch him, patiently, trying to keep up. Both of them feel guilty because they can't help him the way Daniel could. All they could do is listen and be confused.

"My dad tried to give me a crash course in electromagnetism," James continues, pointing to some of the variables on the board. "Frequencies, radiation, wavelengths, ultraviolet, ionosphere - do either of you know what an ionosphere is?"

The twins shake their heads.

"Me neither," James says with a clap of his hands. "I mean, I didn't know it until my dad explained it, and now, I _think_ I know what it is. The ionosphere is a part of the atmosphere. It's basically nature's forcefield. Radio waves bounce off it. You get it?"

"No," Xavier flatly states, being honest.

"Keep going," Angela encourages James, ignoring her brother.

"So," James says, erasing everything on the holographic board with one swipe of his arm. "My dad knows the basics of how all this works. The problem is that all the attainable data from the video is written in a code that we can't even crack yet, in a language that none of our technology is programmed to work with. Not even Stark has anything this advanced in her purse."

"What are you getting at?" Xavier asks. "How does this explain how Merida and Daniel just _poofed_?"

"My guess is teleportation but even that's a stretch."

"I thought - "

"Quit screaming at me!" James yells even though the twins have said nothing in such a loud and harsh tone. "I can figure this out!"

Angela and Xavier back away and let James continue to understand the impossible.

-o-

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

Every sound around Merida drowns out.

Daniel transforming into his hulk happens through her blurring vision. She has tried to help her friend since she is aware of how scared this makes him but Daniel kept on swatting her away, yelling at her to just stand back. Merida backs away, the only noise in her ears being her pounding heart which starts to accelerate the more she sees Daniel turn from the small man to the giant, green monster.

Suddenly, the audience erupts into cheers and chants. Merida just looks around, her vision slowly clearing. Her eyes veer up to the hulk, who doesn't take one look at her. Instead, he scowls before roaring loudly which silences the crowd. Merida slowly backs away, remembering everything that happened when Daniel's hulk came out during graduation. The hulk turns to face her and Merida flinches, her stunned expression appearing on the jumbotron.

"Welcome to MojoWorld!" A loud voice from above announces. "From the arena, we will have a fight with the sensational, incredible Hulk and his human hitchhiker versus the almighty Kongo!"

From across the arena, a marine blue monster about the size of the Hulk appears. His feet stomp on the ground, dust blowing around. It's at that moment when Merida sees that it's a cyborg with one robotic leg and matching opposite arm. It pounds its two fists against its chest, radiating its adrenaline to the audience to get them more pumped than they already are. The Hulk sees its competition and holds its fists up, ready to fight. Merida continues to back away, keeping her bow up at her chest. The Hulk turns to face Merida again and when their eyes meet, his expression almost softens.

"Fight!" The voice says as a bell rings, signaling the start of the battle.

The Hulk turns back to Kongo and narrows its eyes at the cyborg. However, the cyborg has its eyes on Merida and charges towards her instead. Merida has her bow up but she is much too frozen from an unexpected fear she has never really experienced before. Instead, her eyes widen as she looks up at Kongo pouncing on her. She only watches but doesn't react.

To her luck, the Hulk punches Kongo out-of-the-way. Even though she wasn't hit, Merida practically felt the wind being knocked out of her. She watches Kongo fly into the audience but hits a forcefield that divides them. The cyborg slides to the ground and gets up again, eyes on the hulk. The Hulk spits on the ground, snarling its teeth as it begins to charge at Kongo. Kongo does the same.

When they meet in the middle, the hulk grabs Kongo into a chokehold. Kongo breaks free and punches the Hulk repeatedly. The Hulk kicks Kongo over and the cyborg disappears. It reappears above the Hulk and pounds him to the ground by surprise. He does the same again but this time reappears in front of the Hulk. Before the Hulk could react, Kongo sends one powerful blow his way. The Hulk flies off, breaking through the coliseum's walls and floating away into what looks like oblivion.

"No!" Merida exclaims, attempting to run over but stops when she sees no point in that.

Merida can't help but stare, watching her friend float away. It's at that moment when Merida starts putting the pieces together. The sky she saw above was a sky but wasn't dark and starry because it was nighttime. The Hulk was floating away because there was no gravity out there. Not believing the puzzle she has so far, Merida takes a closer look at the crowd - each of them a different color with different limbs from hers. They're aliens of all different kinds.

She's in outer space. She lost Daniel in outer space.

"The incredible Hulk goes down?!" The announcer from before yells rhetorically and in a forced shock for special effect. "Let's hear it for Kongo!"

The crowd claps and screams as Kongo gloats with its robotic arms in the air, pumping its fists.

"Now, let's see how this human place-holder holds up against our champion!"

Merida stands still, not moving even the slightest. She sees Kongo snarling at her, ready to rip her to shreds. Merida's mouth quivers, she looks down at her hand that holds her bow and sees that it's shaking.

* * *

 **People are probably wondering, _'why is Merida so scared? That's so OOC'_ and stuff like that but reasons for that will be revealed in the next chapter.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Merida manage this? Will the others be able to find them?**


	14. MojoWorld: Part Three

**Guys, I'm not going to lie, I was working on one of the far-future story arcs and I actually started to cry. It didn't help that I was listening to _Jar of Hearts_ all day.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After a short battle against Kongo, the Hulk is gone and it's only Merida who remains.**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: MojoWorld Part Three

 _MojoWorld - Time Unknown_

The mission was originally meant to extract confidential SHIELD data from a third-party enterprise in Rio de Janeiro. Daniel had to go since he was the only one who could break into the mainframe in the shortest amount of time possible and Merida was more-or-less Daniel's bodyguard and combatant strategist for the field. The mission itself was a success up to the point where they jumped out the window and woke up in an outer space wrestling match.

That part was not on Merida's mission plan.

Merida has already witnessed Daniel's Hulk and aliens in the span of what has felt like a few minutes. That's the part her brain is still trying to process. Now, she's standing alone in the middle of an extraterrestrial coliseum. Her friend is floating somewhere in the stars and she's enclosed with the monster that sent him there. And now, she's expected to fight it.

Everything is happening too fast for her. She's all alone in a fight that she isn't prepared for in any way. Too much is going on in her mind. She needs to somehow save Daniel and get their asses out of here. The only problem is that she has no idea what the hell she's going to do since she still doesn't fully know what the hell is going on.

-o-

Merida takes a deep breath as she calms her nerves. As Kongo charges at her, she holds up her loaded bow. The audience claps, energizing the both of them. As Merida fires the arrow, Kongo vanishes. Merida loads her bow once more but holds her fire, staying on her toes. She turns around just as Kongo reappears behind her. Kongo slaps her to the ground. She lands on her stomach as her bow slides out of her hand and past her fingertips.

Quickly, Merida rolls onto her back and begins scooting away from Kongo, making her way towards her bow. Kongo walks towards her with large strides. Without her eyes leaving the cyborg, Merida pulls out a special arrow from her quiver. She snaps that arrow, only keeping the arrowhead in her grip. The moment Kongo is above her, Merida waits for the perfect moment.

Kongo raises his robotic leg in the air in order to stomp on her. Merida takes the electro-tip arrowhead that was in her hand and stabs it into the joint of its leg. As electrical sparks begin to fly, Merida rolls to the side as Kongo stumbles back due to the sudden leg spasms. Merida jumps to her feet and grabs her bow. She loads it again and fires arrows non-stop. Kongo only swats them away.

Kongo roars as Merida begins running. Her only option is to run in a circle since she's literally trapped inside a dome. She turns around and when she sees Kongo leap forwards for her, Merida ducks, allowing the monster to jump over her. That's when Merida skids on her feet and begins heading the other direction. Little does she know that Kongo teleports away and reappears in front of her. It picks up Merida and slams her on the ground.

Merida lies on the ground, limply, and feels Kongo add more of its weight on her. Merida squirms, barely able to move.

"Who's in charge here?!" She exclaims.

The only response she gets is a chant from the audience, yelling at Kongo to finish her. Merida squeezes her eyes shut, ready to take in the pain - but nothing. She feels all the weight being lifted off her and hears it being thrown away. Merida slowly opens her eyes, coughing and catching her breath and is more grateful than ever when she sees green instead of white.

"And look who's back wanting more?!" The announcer exclaims only for entertainment purposes.

The Hulk roars loudly, emphasizing its return as it slams its fists against its chest. The crowd jumps out of their seats and rejoices.

Merida stands up, looking at the Hulk. She has no time to wonder how it possibly got back but it doesn't matter. The Hulk stands in between Merida and Kongo with its focus primarily on the cyborg. It slams its green fist on the ground and roars loudly before charging at Kongo.

As that fight goes on, Merida loads her bow with one of her standard arrows. She looks at the audience and sees the aliens paying no attention to her but to the actual fight. Merida takes this time to inspect the area she's in, looking for any weak spots to take advantage of.

None she could spot right away.

Merida turns around and sees Kongo treating the Hulk like a rag doll, slamming him repeatedly against the forcefield. She changes the arrow in her bow to a rocket-tipped one. She aims it directly at Kongo and fires. Once the arrow explodes, Kongo waves away the smoke and looks at Merida. It drops the Hulk and has its eyes set on Merida.

In response, Merida quickly loads her bow with a sonic arrow. The crowd expects her to fire it at Kongo so their cheers diminished when she aimed it upwards, towards the jumbotron. The moment her current image appears on the screen, she lets the arrow loose. It's sonic waves emit and cause Kongo to fall to the ground and the screen to black out.

The crowd is silent. The Hulk doesn't make a single noise.

Merida huffs, unsure what to do now or what will happen now since she was expecting some kind of response from someone or something. She turns around and looks at the Hulk who just stands there. Merida tilts her head a little and jumps a little when she sees the Hulk fall over.

"Daniel!" She exclaims, beginning to run over.

Merida stops when she feels something prick her neck. She pulls out a tiny dart from her neck, recognizing it from earlier. Last time, it had no effect on her but this time around, she feels herself getting dizzy. Merida falls over, keeping her hands firmly on her bow even though it will render her useless due to her strength fading away. She hears the crowd getting excited for some reason she can't understand.

A countdown finishes and then she hears it.

"And that concludes round one!"

Merida mutters those last two words to herself even though they echo in her head, quickly putting togther that those words imply multiple more rounds to come, before blacking out.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Round two is coming soon!**


	15. MojoWorld: Part Four

**_Recap_ \- After what seems impossible, James is attempting to understand the reason behind Daniel and Merida's disappearance all while the two of them have survived round one.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: MojoWorld Part Four

 _Quinjet - 10:12 AM_

James was in the middle of a nap that Angela forced him into. As he slept, Angela and Xavier tried to understand whatever James was working on but it was no hope. They just weren't meant for science.

"What language is this in?" Angela asks Xavier.

"Gibberish?" Xavier guesses.

All they see are unfamiliar symbols and arrows all complimented by James' chicken scratches that he calls penmanship. It was nearly impossible for them to wrap their heads around this, which only made them wonder how James understood it (and read it).

"I got it!" James exclaims as he bursts into the lab from his nap. "I figured it out!"

"How?" Angela asks, excited.

"Spooky physics."

The twins blink with no verbal response. James was expecting one but figured that he needed to further explain.

"Spooky physics?" Xavier asks, especially because of that word choice. " _Spooky physics_? How old are you?"

"Eight days younger than you - but hear me out on this. Spooky physics. I don't think it's spooky at all but Einstein does or he did. That was his nickname for quantum entanglement."

"Wait, what?" Angela and Xavier question at the same time, not expecting to actually get any science out of that.

"Quantum entanglement," James says, enunciating each syllable which didn't really help their comprehension. "It's the total manipulation of physics across space and time. The idea that two distant pieces of matter can affect each other over a span of vast distances."

Angela and Xavier literally have nothing to say.

"Remember what I said about radio waves bouncing off the ionosphere?" James asks. The twins slowly nod. "Well, here's the thing: they can _only_ bounce off the ionosphere. Whatever the hell happened to Merida and Daniel, they somehow crossed that forcefield which falls under the quantum entanglement. It's basically the possibility of matter from one place to another in the blink of an eye."

"How is that any different than a teleporter?" Angela asks.

"Science, that's how." James taps her nose. "Just wait, I will science the crap out of a teleporter and then you will see Merida and Daniel again."

-o-

 _MojoWorld - Time Unknown_

His body is in blistering pain but his mind is way worse. The thing is, physical pain heals and eventually goes away but no amount of medication or therapy can make the mental pain disappear.

Daniel slowly stirs awake, seeing that he's in the white room he first woke up in. He forces himself on his side, fighting through the pain in his arms. Daniel takes a breath and sees that he's only wearing pants, although he doesn't care much about that as of right now. All the memories he saw through his Hulk's eyes play in his mind and he rubs his eyes, trying to get rid of them but freezes when he sees Merida.

Out of all the years he's known Merida, he has never seen her so vulnerable. She's sitting up with her knees crouched against her chest and her cheek resting against them. Merida was always the tough one in their group and though she still is, she still had emotions even though they were rarely seen.

"Don't cry..." Daniel mutters with a scratchy voice. He clears his throat as Merida turns her head around to face him. "I can't stand tears."

Merida stares at him for a bit longer before giving him a weak smile. She was the one who would always tell them that if someone were to cry. However, Merida doesn't say anything and that's when Daniel knows he has to take control of the situation as much as possible.

"Are you scared?" He asks her.

Merida scoffs. "For a genius with countless doctorates, you're asking stupid questions. _'Scared'_ isn't a word I would use right now. Terrified, maybe. Or afraid. Petrified! That's a good word."

"I don't know if you heard or not but there's going to be a round two any time now. Merida, I'm going to need you to be brutally honest with me for my next question. I don't want you to sugar coat the truth because we're friends. Okay?"

Merida nods.

Daniel takes a breath. "Are you scared of the hulk?"

Merida changes her position, scooting closer to Daniel. She knows the strength of this question and despite knowing each other since birth, it has never been asked to her.

"When we were younger," Merida starts, "and I'm talking about _really_ young, we were all secretly anxious to see your hulk. It was hard to believe that a little twerp like you could have and contain all that rage. But when transformations happened, it changed so much. Then graduation came and we had no choice but to finally see you at your absolute worse. All of us were being thrown around like rag-dolls since nobody wanted to hurt or even fight you. It's not like we had no other options. Amora was in there and not you."

Daniel looks away for a moment, taking in all those words Merida has finally told him. A part of him believes that Merida was still filtering her answer but he doesn't pester on that. He rubs his eyes as Merida sits up straighter.

"Are you in there when you transform?" Merida asks him.

"You didn't answer - " he starts before getting cut off by her.

"I'll answer it eventually but get to mine first. Are you in there when you transform?"

Daniel shrugs. "I don't know."

Merida sighs. "You want me to be honest? I'm more scared of whatever the hell is out there than what's in here."

She jabs her finger into his chest. Daniel looks up at her and sees this sudden look of determination in her eyes. She's no longer the girl in the beginning who had her hands shaking with her bow or simply allowed herself to be pushed down by a cyborg. She wants to get out of here with a bang.

"Merida..." He mutters, shaking his head. "I can't do this. I can't control the hulk or - "

"They want a beast and you have that!" Merida exclaims at him. "You're just letting them beat it out of you!"

Daniel pauses, putting his head in his hands as he hears Merida load her bow in preparation for the next battle. He focuses on his breathing as he thinks about how much his hulk and the damage it causes terrifies him. Then he comes to realize that those events have already plagued him and he walked away of those. Now Merida is involved and if he gets her in more danger because of him, that's even worse than a trauma, it's guilt.

Daniel smiles a little as he feels his eyes turn green on their own. He looks up at Merida and she smirks a little.

"You trust him?" Daniel asks her.

"Without a doubt," Merida replies. "The real question is, do _you_ trust him?"

Daniel takes a sharp breath, choosing not to answer that.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he huffs.

Merida grins. "Don't panic. It shuts down neurons."

Daniel nods, taking words he knew he would've told her given any situation.

And with that statement, Daniel forces himself through his own transformation. Merida stands up as the white area around them turns into the coliseum. The crowd cheers at the sight of them as the hulk roars back, ready for the next fight.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- round two will commence!**


	16. MojoWorld: Part Five

**_Recap_ \- James answered the question behind Merida and Daniel's disappearance. Meanwhile, Merida and Daniel are ready for round two.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: MojoWorld Part Five

 _MojoWorld - Time Unknown_

"Welcome back to MojoWorld!" The voice exclaims, pumping up the crowd. "Round two: The Incredible Hulk and his side-kick versus the all-powerful Kongo!"

Merida loads her bow as the Hulk slams its fists together. Kongo stretches its arms from across the arena.

"Fight!"

As the hulk charges towards Kongo, Merida stands still. This time, she doesn't stand in fear but observance. She watches how Kongo moves. It's primarily with force but the teleportation is what throws her off a bit. As the cyborg disappears and reappears, she can't help but notice something consistent about that.

"It's a pattern..." she mutters to herself.

She counts three moves before Kongo disappears and reappears about 180 degrees away to continue fighting. She begins to walk over, bow ready to shoot.

"One...two...three..." she counts, watching Kongo reappear and disappear on the other side of the Hulk.

This happens for a while and she smirks when it's finally her turn. She counts again and on the third number, she turns around and screams as she stabs Kongo with an explosive arrow. As Kongo processes this attack, Merida turns to run in order to avoid the explosion.

She feels herself get grabbed by the Hulk who holds her close as the bomb blows. When all is quiet, Merida slowly peeks over the Hulk's arm that's wrapped around her. She expected to see cyborg debris around but it's all empty. Not one screw or sign of an explosion.

"What happens now?" Merida asks, looking up at the Hulk.

-o-

"No, no, no!" The voice exclaims to himself, slamming on his controls. "This wasn't supposed to happen! I am Mojo and this is my world!"

From his screens, he sees Merida and the Hulk, looking around as they wonder what to do next. The crowd grows restless, craving action that they're not getting.

The being behind the voice begins tapping on his encircling keyboards, creating codes as to what should happen next. Before it could be commanded, a thumping noise causes the ground of his room to shake.

"I told you I could copy the signal! And you two doubted me..."

"We didn't say anything!"

The being turns around and sees three SHIELD agents standing in its console room. Once the three of them are aware of its presence, they hold up their weapons, two being guns and one being an electrified fist.

"Ah!" James screams at what is set before him. "What the hell is that?!"

The being behind all this was an alien himself. A grotesque being with endless layers of rolls, strapped to the machines controlling all this. Two beady eyes stare at them as antennae-like fingers tap on the maggots that seem to inhabit its body.

"I think I'm going to hurl," James adds.

"You are incredibly rude," Mojo says, pointing a slinky finger at James. "Just think it's okay to barge in and insult me. I sweat, you humans have no work ethic these days."

"I'm assuming that you're the mastermind behind all this," Xavier guesses, keeping his opinion on the alien's appearance to himself. He takes a glance and reads a little label on top of the console. "MojoWorld?"

"Mojo," the alien corrects. "MojoWorld is my show."

"One move and we fire..." Angela threatens the alien.

The being doesn't move one bit. Its cooperation surprise the agents. Xavier and James look at the screens and see Merida and the hulk in the Romanesque wrestling arena.

"So, you're an intergalactic fight promoter who is here for mere entertainment," Xavier says as James examines all the advanced technology he barely taught himself to get them up here. "I'd hate to tell you this but we're going to need your main attractions back."

"That will not happen any time soon," Mojo replies.

"Excuse me?" Angela asks.

Mojo taps his microphone. "Time for a challenge! Survival of the fittest! The rules are simple, last one standing gets to survive."

James shrinks down as Angela and Xavier begin firing their weapons. Every bullet that hits Mojo oozes out a yellow, watery substance. Either way, no damage is being done. In response, Mojo grimaces as he shoots robotic wires at them.

-o-

That announcement made Merida's head start to spin. The Hulk, on the other hand, got a thrive out of it which scared her.

Merida slowly looks up at the Hulk and sees that it's staring down at her as if she's a meal. The crowd is chanting, pumping up its energy. Merida only breathes, pleading the Hulk not to do anything. Her hand has a tight grip on her bow which is the last move she wants to do. What surprises her is that the Hulk isn't moving...

The Hulk only stares at the redhead, panting heavily as if the only thought it has in its head is to crush her. Suddenly, time slows down the longer the Hulk looks at Merida.

-o-

In the slowed-down time, the Hulk sees someone walk out and take a stand right beside Merida. The Hulk recognizes this man as he looks down at: the shaking fear being masked by bravery - it's Daniel. The human form of him when he's not around, the voice in his head but this time, right before his eyes. It's just a trick of the mind.

"You're resisting..." The Hulk mutters, surprised a little. "This is new."

"I won't let you fight her," Daniel replies, putting himself between the Hulk and Merida.

The Hulk scoffs a little as it opens an arm out towards the roaring crowds for Daniel to see. "They need a victor and no puny human will take that title."

Daniel shakes his head. "No, that's where you're wrong. These aliens don't need a victor. They need a show, they need views! They need a beast which you provided! They don't care what happens next! Are you going to let them control you?"

The Hulk growls because Daniel has a point.

-o-

Merida, not knowing what that growl means, steps back with her hand that holds the bow shaking. The Hulk slams a fist on the ground and she falls back, causing her bow to drop and arrows to fall out of her quiver.

"Daniel, please..." Merida mutters, scooting back and putting her hands up in surrender. "I am not going to fight you..."

Merida keeps her eyes on the hulk and to her surprise, his scowl softens. The Hulk stands up straight and shrinks back to Daniel. Merida immediately gets up and holds her stumbling friend in her arms. Daniel pants, struggling to catch his breath. He looks around him and gets so over-whelmed by all the aliens, noise, and flashing lights. He sees his human face on the jumbotron and sees how exposed and vulnerable he is which causes him to pass out.

Merida gently places him on the ground and gets her bow and dropped arrows. She looks up at her face on the jumbotron, knowing that the one behind all this is watching.

"You see?!" Merida yells at the boss. "We're not going to fight each other! You said it yourself, asshole, I'm his side-kick!"

There's no response. Merida looms down at Daniel, hoping that he'll shoot awake any time soon.

"You forfeit?" The voice questions menacingly. "How convenient because I've decided to cancel you."

"What?!" Merida replies.

The voice is replaced with static.

Merida edges closer to Daniel and tries to shake him awake. He's out cold. She feels for a pulse which is thankfully still there.

"Merida!" She hears from the PA system the voice was using earlier. Except this time, it isn't that voice but one she knows. "It's James! Load your bow with the right arrow and grab Daniel. We'll meet you back on Earth!"

She doesn't even question how James got here but she's sure happy that he is. Merida knows that James has a plan and she won't like it one bit. She rummages through her quiver, struggling to find the right arrow in the short amount of time and load of pressure.

"James, you - "

Merida gets cut off when her and Daniel get shot with a ray and vanish.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Final Round!**


	17. MojoWorld: Part Six

**_Recap_ \- Angela, James, and Xavier came to the rescue or so that's what it seems.**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: MojoWorld Part Six

 _MojoWorld - Time Unknown_

After James made that announcement and worked Mojo's technology to make Merida and Daniel disappear, he shrunk down to avoid Mojo's attacks as he goes to destroy the place the best he can.

Angela and Xavier keep firing at Mojo non-stop to keep him distracted from James. They flip over the clawed wires being shot at them at alarming rates, some grazing their arms and legs.

"Hurry!" Angela yells.

In his small form, James places a USB in the port that seems like it could hold that storage system and starts an immediate download. He also flies into the command system, finding himself surrounded by wiring he doesn't understand. He flutters around for a bit, searching for the perfect wire. Once he spots one with no coating in one section, he flies over. James spits on his hands and rubs them together before lighting them up. At once, he places his electrified hands on the wires and screams as sparks fly all around him.

Angela and Xavier watch as Mojo's systems shut down all around. And because Mojo was connected to the systems, the alien falls to the ground, deflated like a balloon. The twins hold their guns for a few more slow breaths before holstering them again.

James flies out of the systems and grows back to his normal size. He huffs before coughing out smoke but gives a thumbs up to his teammates, saying that the system is completely fried.

"Sorry we can't stay for the season finale," Angela says as James snags his USB, "but we must leave you on a cliffhanger."

James pushes some buttons on his makeshift device and the three of them teleport out of MojoWorld.

-o-

 _Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 14:01 PM_

" - bastard!" Merida screams as she reappears somewhere new.

No, this place isn't completely new. She recognizes the side of the building from earlier when she and Daniel jumped out of it. She's back in the same position she was when she jumped out of the building the first time. That's when she realizes she's falling from the building.

Merida's brain clicks.

She pulls out her grappling hook arrow and fires it at the building side, the rope winding from her bow. She turns over to Daniel and sees him falling alongside her, still unconscious.

"Daniel!" She exclaims.

When she feels the arrow snag onto something, she cranes her arm out for Daniel but he's too far. Seeing as she doesn't have that much altitude left until she and Daniel hit the ground. Merida swings over and snags Daniel's bicep before wrapping that free arm underneath his shoulders. She pushes a button in her bow that stops the rope from winding.

The rope stops just mere feet from the ground, their feet dangling. Merida hops on the ground, still holding Daniel in her arm. She unclips the rope from her bow before throwing it on the ground. She places Daniel on the ground gently and watches his chest move up and down, relieved that he's alive.

"Merida!"

She turns around and sees the others running up to her from the street corner. She charges over to them.

"Check on Daniel," Merida orders the twins. When she sees James, she decks him across the face.

"Ow!" James exclaims, holding his cheek. "What the hell, Merida?!"

"You could've given me a better warning than _'grab Daniel'_!"

"Well, you could've given me a thank you instead of a broken jaw. I saved your damn life and his not-so-damned life!"

"I saved my own life!"

"If it weren't for me, we would've never found you! You would've still been in whatever the hell MojoWorld is!"

Merida stares at James as he rubs the spot where she hit him. She didn't use all her strength so his jaw was still in one piece. Feeling ungrateful and guilty for her outburst (since it was just a spur of the moment reaction), she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. She looks down at her boots and mumbles something inaudible.

"What was that?" James asks with a grin approaching his face. "Did Merida Barton just _thank me_? I don't think I heard that. Why don't you give me a hug?"

He opens his arms for her and Merida sighs, annoyed.

"Offer a hug one more time and I will knock you out and drag you to the quinjet on my back."

"Noted."

Merida smiles a little. "But thank you."

They run over to the twins and Daniel. Daniel is now awake and sitting up. He's rocking back and forth with his knees huddled up to his chest all while staring out into the open. Angela is kneeling beside him, whispering as a way to comfort him or break him free from the trance he's in. Xavier does the same from standing above him.

"Daniel," Angela says, "we're okay. We're back on Earth."

Daniel doesn't respond with anything more than a blink. The others look at each other. Xavier takes off his jacket and throws it over Daniel's shoulders to warm him up. Still no response.

"Daniel..." Merida says, stepping in front of him. "Hey, look, I'm fine. We're fine. There's no more Mojo or his shitty show. We're free."

Nothing.

Merida begins snapping her fingers in his face before getting scolded by Angela. Merida rolls her eyes and resorts to waving instead. Finally, Daniel's brown eyes look up at his friends. He puts his head in his hands and holds himself from breaking down in tears. Even with Xavier's jacket, he's still shivering from shock and not the draft.

"I think I need a break..." Daniel mutters.

"A break sounds good," Merida agrees, picking up her bow.

Xavier's phone starts ringing. He only has to look at the screen before sighing in stress.

"Our break is going to have to wait," Xavier says, showing the call coming from the council.

"How the hell do they know we got back?" James asks. "How did _they_ even know we left? I wasn't even sure where we were when we got there!"

Xavier shrugs. "They know everything."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- breathe, debrief, and repeat!**


	18. Hulk Rewind

**I just figured I'd give this to you since it's sort of a MojoWorld conclusion.**

 **OKAY so, I changed the format of how the council is written just because I think it will make more sense this way. It will be like this from now on.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After coming back from space, the team thought their problems with Mojo were over, at least until SHIELD called...**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Hulk Rewind

 _Location Classified - 16:34 PM_

 _Council: Agent Banner._

That name literally echoes in his head. As Daniel looks up at the holograms in front of him, they blur a bit and make him nauseous. This causes him to remove his glasses and rubs his eyes, resting in that position against the table he's sitting behind. His head is throbbing but he takes a breath as he puts his glasses back on and forces himself to cooperate with the council.

 _Council: Agent -_

"I heard you," Daniel says slowly. "I heard you."

 _Council: You aren't answering our questions._

"I know. I'd prefer it that way."

 _Council: And why is that?_

Daniel opens is mouth but doesn't say anything. He looks down and feels his eyes start to well up with tears as he thinks back to MojoWorld. All those alien eyes on his hulk, chanting for him to destroy the competition; Merida being vulnerable and scared of him and everything else, feeling defenseless even though she had a weapon; and being thrown into a void of darkness for a bit and thinking it was the end. He wasn't taken as a weapon but a puppet, being forced to play a role he had no control of in more than one way.

He blinks and feels a tear fall down his cheek. Daniel rushes to wipe it but leaves his hand there. The council begins whispering amongst each other and Daniel doesn't bother to even try and eavesdrop in on them. When they face him again, Daniel looks up.

 _Council: You are dismissed._

-o-

 _James' Condominium - 17:29 PM_

"I hate the council," James says. Angela, Xavier, and Merida sit on his couch, watching him complain after a long mission. "I basically duplicated alien technology and created my own teleportation device - mind you that it burnt to a crisp when we got back - but I taught myself a language that nobody else could understand and _they don't even care_!"

"I care about your incomprehensible space toy," Angela says, smiling brightly.

"Your ego is so overwhelming," Merida says to James, sipping her drink. "I could've just stayed in space and I would still be able to see it."

"I'm not complaining because of my ego," James says. His friends raise an eyebrow. "Well, partially. In all actuality, I wanted to go to the debriefing to save Daniel's ass. Do you think the council will go easy on him? Not one bit."

James takes a seat on the couch with them. He sits on Angela's lap as a joke and she laughs, nudging him off. Xavier glances at Merida who crosses her legs as she rolls her eyes.

"Anyways," James says, picking up his laptop from the table and opening it. "I did manage to snag some data from Mojo."

"For what?" Xavier asks.

"A souvenir," James kids. "No, for research. I would've asked Daniel to help me but this data isn't really what any of us would've expected to extract information from nor would he want to look at it."

"Why?"

"I'll show you."

James types on his keyboard and allows the information to be projected on the television in his condominium. Instead of coding or equations, which they expected, they see a video. That's when they all remembered that MojoWorld was a television show for the aliens. They got the episode featuring Merida and Daniel.

"Brace yourselves," James says, playing the video.

The video starts with the cheering alien crowd. Then they see Daniel and Merida with the subtitle 'Hulk with His Assistant' written in loud animated text.

Merida groans, putting one of James' throw pillows over her head.

Angela, Xavier, and James all watch the battle with the addition of cartoon sound effects and fake explosions. Every time Merida would hit the ground, the sound of bowling pins being knocked over would be added.

 _Mojo: And our human hitchhiker is down!_

That was announced every five minutes, followed by an instant replay in slow-motion with a boomerang effect on Merida flailing body.

"Oh no..." Angela mutters sarcastically to Merida. "I was cheering for you."

Merida constantly hits her head on the pillow, not wanting to relive those days due to heroic embarrassment. The others, however, are on the edge of their seats, clearly intrigued on this battle. They cheered and laughed (mostly the latter since Merida was a mess). Whenever the Hulk would punch Kongo, the three of the threw their arms in the air and chanted.

"Can we stop this?" Merida asks.

"We're busy extracting useful data, Merida, take notes," Xavier tells her.

Merida narrows her eyes at him. "I hate you."

There's a knock on the door and James pauses the video. Everyone sits up as James runs through the door and looks through the peephole. James opens his mouth in shock as he looks back at the group.

"It's Daniel!" James whispers.

Xavier quickly changes the channel to the first show he could see, Angela organizes the pillows on the couch, even grabbing the one from Merida; and Merida just fixes the way she's sitting. James clears his throat before opening the door wide for Daniel. Daniel shuffles in, feeling miserable.

"I hate the council," Daniel says sluggishly.

"What a coincidence," James says, "we were just talking about that. I hate them too. Say, do you care about my teleportation device?"

"I guess?" Daniel replies unenthusiastically.

James expected more of an excited response from Daniel, hoping it would get his mind off of recent events. However, James knows that Emily would appreciate his invention but forgives Daniel since he's in a crappy mood.

Daniel looks at the others. They're watching an over-dramatic Spanish soap opera with no English subtitles. Merida is leaning over the arm rest to be closer to the twins as she translates everything, Angela is dabbing tears from her eyes, and Xavier is sitting laid-back with interest on his face. They all say hi to him before focusing back on the show.

"We were just binge-watching this crap," James informs Daniel. "Apparently Magdalena is pregnant and she is trying to figure out who the father is. She's torn between it being the butler or the hot neighbor but get this, the neighbor is her third cousin twice-removed. She doesn't know that, though."

Daniel nods his head as he makes his way over to the couch. He takes a seat beside Merida but before he gets comfy, he reaches over for the remote. He presses the recall button and is taken back to what they were previously watching and is blown away from the fake explosions from the video of the battle in MojoWorld.

Everyone else is silent. Nobody could come up with an explanation for this. Daniel only sits back and stares at it all.

"I was completely against this," Merida tells him.

"Daniel, we just needed to see it," Xavier says.

Daniel nods, almost hypnotized by the footage of the Hulk, rather than being mad at his friends.

"If it helps," James starts, "we were cheering for you."

"James!" They all yell.

* * *

 **Daniel wanted a break and a break they will be getting.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Wakanda, here we come!**


	19. African Storms: Part One

**Remember who I said was coming in chapter 19? That's okay, neither did I.**

 **I also think I should make it clear that I wrote this entire arc before any _Black Panther_ promotion was released.**

 ** _Copyright_ \- Wolverine and the X-Men (Nicktoons)**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: African Storms Part One

 _Wakanda - 7:04 AM_

"Mother..." Iqadi mutters softly, approaching her mother who stands on one of the palace balconies, gazing outwards. "The more you worry, the more wrinkles you will get."

Ororo turns around and holds her arm out. Iqadi takes her hand with both of hers and stands by her mother's side. They both stand with the perfect view of the kingdom below, specifically to a set-up battlefield. A large crowd circles the main fight taking place.

This battle, unlike any other, is a Wakandian tradition that has been celebrated for over a thousand years. The Black Panther is a hereditary title for the ruler of Wakanda but one still has to earn it. The current heiress, Princess Iqadi, has passed all the arduous tasks needed to be qualified for the throne and will do so alongside her husband and prince consort, Imanu, when the time comes. However, just so every tribe and every citizen of Wakanda has a chance for the throne, they may challenge the current Black Panther by combat for the throne.

That day just so happens to be today.

Queen Ororo's expression is sullen as she watches her husband taunt his competition like an actual panther to its prey. The surrounding crowd roars at every punch and kick thrown. Even though the fight is happening many feet below her, she can still see the blood being shed through her husband's dark suit.

"Has he won?" Iqadi asks, lightly squeezing her mother's arm.

"Not yet, my dear." Ororo sighs. "When you are Queen, promise me that you abolish all this, not only for the sake of Imanu but for yours as well."

"Mother," Iqadi almost yells, "this has been done possibly since Wakanda was born. I cannot be the one to get rid of it nor would I want my future heirs to do the same. What kind of queen would I be if I refuse to prove my power to my people?"

Ororo sees the seriousness in Iqadi's eyes because of that statement. She only smiles warmly.

"You are truly the daughter of your father," Ororo says.

"Besides, it is better I fight than Imanu," Iqadi adds. "I love him but he can barely watch the fight, let alone participate in it."

-o-

Another victim of T'Challa's power falls to the ground, his own blood splattering at the impact. The crowd chants as the guards drag away another defeated body. A few drops of blood splash on Imanu's face and he winces before wiping them away. T'Challa looks down at his son-in-law, waiting for a fight against him but the young man shakes his head nervously.

"I promise to go easy on you," T'Challa whispers to him. "You could even walk away without the aid of another."

"Even then I still will not stand a chance," Imanu replies.

T'Challa eyes him before turning his back. He has nothing against Imanu but it still baffles him to this day why his daughter picked him to be her husband out of all the other suitors she got to pick from. As for Imanu, despite him living in the palace with his father-in-law for seven years, he was still intimidated by him.

"Anyone else?" An announcer asks the crowd for the next opponent.

The crowd goes silent as they wait in anticipation. For a moment, they all think the battles are over until one prominent man makes his way over. From the way he was dressed in a vest made out of white furs, it was easy to notice that he originated from the Gorilla tribe (the one tribe who has tried numerous attempts to steal the throne from the reigning Panther tribe, even during the period of time when Iqadi was choosing a husband).

T'Challa grins as he rolls his shoulders back.

"Finally..." T'Challa mutters, unleashing his claws as he embraces a true competitor. "And who might you be?"

"Ehioze," the man introduces, "it is time we finally take the throne from you."

T'Challa grins. "This shall be interesting."

An announcer calls the beginning of the fight. Ehioze immediately jumps to attack but T'Challa leaps back, avoiding him just in time. Ehioze is much bigger than T'Challa so his punches and swings are much more mighty, but T'Challa has the advantage since his smaller frame allows him to flip over them easier. The two warriors stop and stare at each other, eyes narrowed in competition. T'Challa pulls out two shards of vibranium and charges at him again.

Ehioze doesn't move one bit. T'Challa leaps and sends a kick on the way down but is blocked. The two fighters alternate in giving each other slashes and kicks. Eventually, T'Challa knocks him over with a blow to the face.

The crowd erupts in cheers. T'Challa keeps his eyes on the man who looks back at him with a menacing smile.

"I have my own tricks as well..." Ehioze mutters.

-o-

From the balcony, Ororo and Iqadi continue watching the fight. Unlike the others, this one has them on the edge. They watch as Ehioze rises up with ease. He throws more attacks and their champion falls over.

"No!" Iqadi screams. "Father!"

"T'Challa!" Ororo yells, stretching her arm over the balcony for him.

"He cannot lose..." Iqadi wraps her arms around herself. "What would become of Wakanda or us?!"

Iqadi waits for a response but hears nothing. She turns her head to face her mother and sees her leaning over the balcony, getting a closer look at her husband. Iqadi takes a few steps closer. That's when Ororo climbs onto the balcony's edge. She raises her arms and summons the winds to help her as she leaps off. Iqadi runs over and tries to grab her mother but is too slow.

-o-

T'Challa screams loudly as he falls on his knees. Ehioze starts walking closer, tauntingly, as the crowd grows silent. He kicks the Panther King over. T'Challa lands on his back. He rolls onto his front and tries to get up but his arms shake. Ehioze steps on his back, forcing him back down. He is about to finish him with one more punch but someone from above distracts them.

"Do not hurt him anymore!" Ororo exclaims at Ehioze, landing in the middle of the two men.

"Ororo..." T'Challa mutters painfully.

"Interference by her Highness!" Ehioze yells. "You cannot interrupt this! It is a fight for the throne!"

"Then fight me," Ororo mutters through her teeth. She rips her tiara out of her hair and tosses it to the side. "The throne is mine as much as it is his."

The crowd shifts in mood. Ehioze looks at Ororo, debating on whether or not to fight the woman who stands boldly before him. Ororo takes one glance at her husband, who struggles to stretch an arm to her as a way to tell her not to fight, but she ignores his request.

Ehioze grins. "So be it."

Ororo holds up her arms and her eyes turn white as she fills the sky with dark clouds.

* * *

 **Now our favorite princess is in the story!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- You know that old saying, "behind every great king is an even greater queen..."**


	20. African Storms: Part Two

**_Recap_ \- after almost losing the throne to the Gorilla tribe, Queen Ororo stepped in and challenged the warrior...**

* * *

Chapter Twenty: African Storms Part Two

 _Wakanda - 7:48 AM_

Iqadi is frozen as she stands on the balcony, watching her mother transform the sunny day into darkness. Her mother is powerful with the weather. Even without that ability, she was a force that nobody dared to mess with. She is a storm all on her own: powerful, violent, devastating, and utterly magnificent. She captivates all left in her wake.

Iqadi just couldn't make sense of this whole situation.

Iqadi shakes herself out of her daze and runs through the palace to get to the battlefield. Her mind is in a frenzy and she does not know what to do. She pushes her way through the crowd until she finds a familiar face.

"Imanu," she calls, grabbing his arm. "Something is not right."

"Help me with your father," Imanu says, not taking in what Iqadi said.

The two of them each take one of her father's arms and do their best to drag him onto his feet. Iqadi takes a shaky breath at the sight of the blood trail left behind. With care and ease, they hoist T'Challa onto his feet to take to the royal doctors but he refuses to leave Ororo alone.

-o-

Ehoize pounces on Ororo and she lands flat on her back. She grunts as she pushes him off, tearing the bottom of her dress into shreds to make the fight easier for her. When the both of them rise, Ehioze holds out his fists at her.

"Give up and I shall make this easier for you and your family," he tells her. "I should not even have to prove my worth to you."

"Give up my throne?" Ororo asks with strength in her voice. "My country? Never."

Ororo charges towards him but he grabs her neck and holds her up in the air. She claws at his hands, drawing blood.

"I do not know why you have chosen to fight on my land or what tricks you used on T'Challa but I do not care!" Ororo screams at him with the air she managed to gasp from the strong chokehold she's currently in.

Ororo's eyes turn solid white and Ehoize grins. She summons a gust of wind causing him to drop her. Ororo stands tall with her arms open wide and tornado forms around her.

The surrounding crowd covers their faces in the midst of their panicking and begin to scatter all around. Iqadi and Imanu try their best to calm the crowd or even better, send them all home (which is difficult since they're holding T'Challa up); but at the point, everyone wanted to see the end of this fight.

"This is my home and you are not welcomed here!" Ororo yells.

She stands at the base of her tornado, just before it funnels open. She's impervious to its power but nobody else is. Ehioze is suddenly lifted off the ground and flying above her. Ororo huffs, twisting her hands as she controls the wind. Lightning strikes above her. She releases her arms and allows the winds to disperse.

When only Ororo is left, her arms fall along her sides. The storm clouds remain in the sky as Ororo's eyes turn from solid white back to her normal blue eyes. Ororo turns to face her people who are still as if they were ordered not to move a muscle. Her expression doesn't change but remains unemotional. The natural wind blows by which causes Ororo to stand straighter due to its unpredictable arrival. She looks at the crowd again and her eyes slightly narrow at them.

"You are all dismissed," she orders them. The people obey with no argument and exit as fast as they possibly can. She looks at Imanu and Iqadi who still hold her battered husband. "Get all the best doctors on him."

Some guards rush over and take the king from Imanu and Iqadi. As they leave, the two of them stand still as Ororo looks down at them, her gaze still unwelcoming. She doesn't say anything to them before turning around and heading inside the castle, waving off any maid who offered anything along the way.

A gust of wind phases through Iqadi and she stumbles back at the surprise. She finds herself wrapping her arms around herself, rubbing the goosebumps that have formed on her arms. She isn't shivering because of the wind but because of the cold atmosphere her mother left behind.

-o-

For the rest of the day, the palace was silent. Nobody spoke a single word to one another. T'Challa was healing in the medical wing, Ororo confined herself to her bedroom, and Iqadi and Imanu, despite spending the rest of the day by each others side, had nothing to say each other.

"I do not understand..." Iqadi mutters. She sits in front of her bedroom's vanity mirror, staring at her own reflection. "My mother turned into a completely different person out there and it almost scared me."

"You mother was doing her role," Imanu replies as he walks past her. "She was protecting the ones she loves as a wife and mother would, and her country like its queen would."

"I understand that but this whole day was just odd to me."

Imanu smirks with a little laugh escaping his mouth. "Iqadi, you are trying to make sense out of tradition. Some things you have to leave the way they are without questioning it."

"But, dear - "

Imanu cuts her off with a short kiss. Iqadi was taken by surprise (which isn't surprising to her considering how the day has been for her). When they part, Iqadi holds his shoulders and rests her head on his chest. Imanu holds her back and rests his head on top of hers.

"You are stressed, worried, and tired," he whispers to her. "It has been a long day for all of us. You need to sleep, my dear."

Iqadi nods, taking a heavy breath that made her heart swell up. Imanu smiles at her as he rubs her cheek with his thumb.

"The forecast for tomorrow called for sunshine and clear skies," Imanu says, sitting on their bed. "Do you think your mother will agree?"

Iqadi knows that he's trying to enlighten the situation for her and she loves him for that. She just isn't up to it and he senses that when she doesn't respond with even a smile. Imanu sits back.

"Forget I asked..." he mutters.

"Imanu..." Iqadi says, now sitting on the bed next to him. "I am still trying to wrap my head around this and try to make sense of it all."

"Everything will be fine in the morning."

Iqadi gives a weak smile. "It will. The forecast called for sunshine and clear skies."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- The forecast may have called for sunshine and clear skies but will Queen Ororo agree with that?**


	21. African Storms: Part Three

**_Recap_ \- although Wakanda is still under the rule of T'Challa and Ororo, Iqadi still doesn't understand how the day ended the way it did.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: African Storms Part Three

 _Wakanda - 4:57 AM_

Imanu had to force Iqadi to go to sleep since she couldn't drop the subject about everything that seemed wrong about the previous day. After succumbing to her husband's wishes, Iqadi finally agreed to go to sleep - or so he thought. Little did Imanu know that the moment he was fast asleep, Iqadi woke up again. She spent the whole night being immersed in her own thoughts about the day. Whenever she felt like freaking out, she just looked over at her sleeping husband and calmed right back down. Everything seemed like it made sense.

Keyword: seemed.

"Something is not right..." Iqadi whispers to herself.

A light hits her face. Iqadi rubs her eyes and sees the early morning sun peeking in through her bedroom window. She takes a glance at the clock seeing that it's almost 5 AM. She curses to herself, only planning to stay awake for extra hours as opposed to five.

Iqadi sits up in her bed and watches the morning sun. She smiles to herself, thinking about how Imanu told her the forecast predicted sunshine and clear skies. Then she realizes that maybe she could solve her problems if she just spoke them aloud to someone.

"Imanu," she says, nudging him. "Wake up."

"What is it?" Imanu asks, still asleep with his face in the pillow.

"That tradition has happened for many, many years but why did my mother choose to interfere at that _exact_ moment?"

"Because your father could have died? Because the country would have a new political leader and tribe in power?" He offers as if those were given options. Imanu finally opens droopy his eyes to look at his wife. "Iqadi, do not worry anymore. Your father is still healing and the country is still theirs. Everything is how it should be."

Imanu goes back to sleep. Iqadi sighs, putting a hand to her forehead. She closes her eyes, trying to remember every detail from yesterday: her father and Ehioze were in battle. At one point, her father was being overpowered but not to the extent of defeat. Although, that was when her mother entered the fight since she thought he was going to lose. Ehioze seemed as if he wanted to fight her mother over her father.

"Imanu!" Iqadi exclaims, waking him up again. "The fight was staged!"

"How so?" He asks, opening his eyes again.

Iqadi explains everything she already thought of. "Did you even seen Ehioze fly off in the cyclone my mother made?"

"No..." Imanu mutters. "But that proves nothing. Your mother made it dark and everyone was in chaos. It was hard to see anything especially since I was focused on your father."

Iqadi crosses her arms. "You have made great points but I will still prove you wrong."

Iqadi gets up out of bed and changes into the first outfit she sees in her closet. She immediately runs out of her bedroom. Imanu doesn't see a point in stopping her.

-o-

Iqadi walks down the hallways of the castle. She passes the infirmary wing. Her plan is to go talk to her father and not only see if he's alright but ask him about the fight. Before she could enter, she sees her mother burst out, eyes all swollen and puffy, the color drained from her skin. Iqadi's heart stops, refusing to analyze this situation. Instead, she gets her mother's attention and sees that her blue eyes are full of tears.

"Mother, what is it?" Iqadi questions, trying her absolute best not to think the worse. "What has happened?"

"The country is in trouble," Ororo responds in a rush. "Iqadi, your father did not survive the fight - !"

Ororo looks over Iqadi's shoulder and runs off in muffled cries, not finishing her sentence. Iqadi feels hot tears fill up her eyes. She hesitates to enter the infirmary but sees the only reason to go inside would be to see her father's corpse. Iqadi looks at the ground and watches her tears fall. Her feelings build inside her before she breaks down into a scream.

-o-

Imanu immediately shoots out of bed when he hears Iqadi scream. He runs out of his room and sees Iqadi standing in front of the infirmary. He calls her name but she doesn't hear him. When Iqadi beings running off, he follows her but eventually loses her since she's a much faster runner.

He ends up outside and sees Ororo standing still with wide eyes as she looks straight ahead at nothing in particular. Imanu guesses that she's lost in thoughts, just like his own wife at times.

"My Queen," Imanu says, approaching her. "Have you seen Iqadi? I was chasing her a moment ago but she outran me and now I have lost her."

Ororo smiles, laughing to herself a little. "She is like her father..." She raises her head up and her smile instantly vanishes. "They're both gone..."

Imanu looks at her closer. "Ororo...?"

Ororo's head instantly turns to face him and she grabs his shoulders. Imanu jumps a little but Ororo holds him in place. He watches firsthand as Ororo's eyes turn from bright blue to a solid navy blue. Imanu begins shivering from fear since he's never seen Ororo's eyes like that.

"You have to run!" She yells at him.

"Run?" Imanu questions. "Run from what?!"

"The fire!" She exclaims. "Wakanda is on fire!"

"What?!" Imanu yells. As he looks around, Wakanda seems natural with no flame in sight.

Before Imanu could say anything more, Ororo throws her arms in the air, knocking him over. Ororo calls the mightiest winds and lifts herself in the air. She summons the darkest thunderclouds. As the wind increases, thunder crackles as rain begins to pour, anouncing the coming storm. Her showers accompanied by the darkest clouds. Imanu stands up again, rain hitting his face as he watches Ororo move her arms around in a fluent motion. The clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. She scatters them all over the sky along with her lightning. At her direction, they swirl over the face of the land, doing whatever it is she commands them to do.

"Ororo!" Imanu yells up at her. "The country is not on fire!"

-o-

Iqadi sits against a window, allowing the warm sun to hit her face. Her mother's haunting words echo in her head on a constant loop. She crouches, putting her knees up to her head as she covers her ears to block out any noise. She squeezes her eyes shut. Everything she's doing right now is an attempt to block out what's really happening.

Suddenly, she feels her face get cold.

Iqadi unravels herself and opens the drapes wider. The sky is dark and she hears thunder rolling in. Iqadi closes the drapes and leans against the window, feeling the chill from the glass tickle her back and hearing the rain fall.

She's trembling. She's confused. She's scared.

The forecast called for sunshine and clear skies and now there's a storm.

She clenches her fists and runs out.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- will Iqadi be able to calm the storm? And if Wakanda isn't on fire, why does Ororo believe it is?**


	22. African Storms: Part Four

**_Recap_ \- after T'Challa is reported dead by Ororo, she proceeded to create a rainstorm in Wakanda**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: African Storms Part Four

 _Wakanda - 6:03 AM_

Iqadi charges through the palace where she sees maids and guards scurrying all over the place. Nobody knows what to do nor who to follow orders from. Iqadi knows that in these kinds of situations, they would listen to her father and then her mother since they are the highest in command. The problems with that were that her father was gone physically and her mother mentally. Iqadi believes her mother is grieving in the worst way possible.

The country is relying on her right now.

Iqadi pauses for a moment, allowing that thought to process. She has been preparing for the throne for as long as she can remember and if one were to ask her if she was ready yesterday, she would've said yes in a heartbeat. Now, she wasn't a hundred percent sure on what to do.

"Iqadi!" Imanu exclaims as he approaches her. She notices how soaked he currently is. "Something is wrong with you mother! She - !"

"She is grieving," Iqadi says bitterly.

Imanu is taken aback, almost afraid to ask. "Grieving what?"

"My father died."

Imanu doesn't say anything. He looks down and puts a hand on her shoulder but she quickly brushes it off to hide her current emotions and show a brave face. She thinks that she can just mourn later, when everything is calm.

"I have a country to save," she says, running off.

-o-

Imanu immediately runs through the palace towards the palace's infirmary. To think that he was the one telling Iqadi that there was nothing to worry about and now everything was in the midst of going to hell.

All the doctors and nurses were much too busy with the chaos to acknowledge his presence, not that he would've wanted any at the moment. He could go a day or two without all the formality. Imanu approaches a closed white curtain. Fearing what he may see on the other side, he holds in a breath as he opens the curtain in one swift motion. Imanu exhales. To his surprise (and relief), he sees T'Challa in there, alive and well.

"Iqadi said you were dead," Imanu tells him.

"Only because Ororo believes that," T'Challa replies.

Imanu finds himself gripping the curtain in a fist. T'Challa tries to sit up. Even though Imanu tries to get him to stay on his back, T'Challa doesn't listen.

"She is not well," T'Challa says about Ororo. "There is something corrupting her mind, filling her head with false thoughts."

Imanu nods his head, realizing how much sense that makes. Whatever is in Ororo's mind is telling her lies such as T'Challa's death and the fire in the country. That's when it hits him - bringing down the country by destroying its government and its land with its resources and citizens.

The rainfall increases at an alarming rate as do the winds and thunder.

"Stay here," Imanu orders, heading to the exit.

"Imanu!" T'Challa objects before grunting in pain which causes Imanu to wince in pity.

"I cannot let you. I won't." He stands up boldly. "The King is recovering, The Queen is in trouble, and The Princess is trying to solve it all on her own. I am the Prince and I will try my best to help."

-o-

Ororo unleashes her lightning beneath the entire country and sends it to the tops of the trees. They are being torn from the ground and flown, roofs from houses are being ripped, rivers are overflowing and flooding the land. After that comes the roar of thunder at the sound of her majestic voice. When her voice resounds, she holds nothing back. The people are scared, panicking, and crying as they see their queen floating in the center of it all, controlling it with her own hands. They all take cover, hiding inside what's left of their houses.

Ororo believes the country is on fire and only created a storm to extinguish it all. She sees flames eveywhere, eating her country alive. Little did she know the true destruction she's causing.

Iqadi steps out of the palace and into the chaos. She looks up into the black sky and feels the rain stab her face as she turns her own eyes white, focusing on her own weather-manipulating powers. The moment she spots her mother in the air, she stands right underneath with her hands in the air and wrists twisting. She fills her hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.

A storm. A bigger storm than Iqadi's ever managed and if possible, a storm bigger than the one her mother is making. Over the years, Iqadi's only relied on lightning strikes, high winds, and fog - quick effects for attacking and defending. She has never needed to build and sustain a massive storm up front before.

Not much can take out her mother. Some called her Mother Nature which was truly a fitting name. Iqadi just needed a storm big enough to take out her mother's.

"Iqadi!" Imanu exclaims from behind her. "You have to listen to me!"

"Imanu, I have never done this before!" Iqadi yells back, not hearing what he said. "I do not know if I can hold it!"

"I know...if you must stop then do so. There are other ways we can handle this."

Iqadi doesn't stop. Instead, she surrounds her mother with storm clouds of her own. Lightning strikes by Ororo, stinging her eyes with their brightness. Iqadi's lightning stretches nearly a mile wide but her mother sweeps it away with her hand as if it was nothing which brings in a tidal wave of her wind powers. Iqadi screams as she strengthens her own winds, making it howl.

From above, Ororo looks down. Where Iqadi stands, she only sees a massive flame spreading its spark. She sees it growing and not extinguishing, The dark clouds swell around as Ororo makes the thunder rumble at her fingertips. Her left-hand hand twirls, spinning the winds to build up the pressure in the air and allow more of the storms to gather within her. Ororo points her arms in that direction and sends the winds, rain, and lightning in that direction. Iqadi holds her hands out to block it but knows that it will be much too strong for her. In response, Iqadi throws herself on top of Imanu and they both slide across the mud to avoid the attack.

"The elements belong to me!" Ororo exclaims as a lightning bolt crackles behind her.

The winds swirl into a vortex, its velocity as fast as possible. Its strength continues to tear the country into shreds. Ororo's vortex splits into thirds, creating three separate wind funnels that she pushes out into Wakanda.

Iqadi stands up again, her head now throbbing. Ororo constantly swipes her arms, sending different projectiles at Iqadi, who currently stands as a shield for her husband. Iqadi tenses up as she feels something slice the surface of her arm. She takes a quick glance and sees blood pouring out. She ignores it.

Iqadi reenters the center of the storm and raises her arms once again, turning her eyes white to attempt to take control. Iqadi roars, blood dripping from a split lip, as she clenches her raised fists to create a tornado to send her mother to the ground. She sends in some rain as well, turning it into ice shards. She calls on more of her own clouds to stop her mother, but not to the full extent of her ability to show the love she has for not only her mother but for her country as well. Both of which she would not want to inflict any more damage on.

Her mind feels like it's going to explode due to all this pressure she's putting on her mutation.

"I - " Iqadi struggles. " - I cannot - "

She forces herself to stop. Iqadi throws down her arms as she stumbles into Imanu. He drags her behind a tree that's still attached to the ground as protection. Iqadi clutches her chest, gasping for air.

"She is too powerful for me..." Iqadi says, panting.

"She probably does not see you as yourself," Imanu says. Iqadi tilts her head, needing more information. "Iqadi, someone or something has invaded her mind. Everything she has told you is a lie."

Iqadi lights up a little. "She told me my father was dead."

"He is very well alive."

Iqadi smiles, regaining the energy she needed. Before she could get back up, she sees some of the palace guards approaching. They need a leader, someone who can give them orders so they can help protect Wakanda.

"Princess, what do we do?"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- anyone got a plan?**


	23. African Storms: Part Five

**_Recap_ \- Ororo is ripping the country apart and Iqadi is trying a different approach as to calming her storm now that she knows more behind the problem.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: African Storms Part Five

 _Wakanda - 7:45 AM_

"We need to get her out of the sky," the first guard says.

"There is a contingency plan for this," the second one says.

Iqadi zones out, that statement echoing in her head in the loud storm. The moment she heard those two cursed words, she was immediately reminded of the number one reason as to why her life has been a personal hell for herself for the past seven years. The version of the plan that she made for some of the most important people in her life, despite being hidden away, still managed to haunt her every now and then by reminding her about the cruel tactics she has written down.

"Princess?" A guard questions, regaining her attention. Iqadi clears her throat.

"It is either her or Wakanda, maybe even all of Africa!" The second guard yells. "We don't know the perimeter of this storm!"

Iqadi remembers that being what her father said to get her to do the plan. That was what convinced her all those years ago. It would be for Wakanda's benefit. Her father probably would've gotten the plans out but found a way around the that would get to the same result. Her mother would have probably ordered her to do the same thing. On a normal day, Iqadi obeys their orders.

Not today, though.

This day was far from normal and it isn't even close to being noon yet.

She remembers the way her mother was when her father was in danger. Not only today but in the stories. They first met because she saved him. Their relationship is based on their power to protect each other and they pour that love out to Wakanda and to herself.

Iqadi takes a breath, finding one of her hands hovering over her abdomen. A plague of memories she never wanted to see again seemed to just flash back into her mind at every flash of lightning. She instantly shakes her head and regains focus. Iqadi clenches her fist.

"My father made that plan but he is not here right now, is he?!" Iqadi screams at them. "If any of you go near that contingency plan, I will kill you myself!"

The guards say nothing but obey her. Imanu remains silent by Iqadi's side.

Iqadi takes a breath. "I will handle my mother. I want all of you to round up the civilians and get the as far away from the center of the storm - the palace. Tell them to remain calm and be sure to tend to any injuries."

"It would be safer and quicker for them to go underground," Imanu says.

Iqadi nods, motioning an arm to him. The guards all disperse in separate, listening to Imanu.

When they're alone, Iqadi and Imanu look up at Ororo.

"We need to get her out of the sky," Iqadi says. "Once she's on the ground, we will figure out what to do."

"You cannot take her down with a simple gust of wind," Imanu tells her. "It will not even faze her."

Iqadi sighs. "We need to send something up there to knock her down."

"But what?"

Iqadi looks at Imanu, hoping that he would have an answer. He's silent.

"Take a shot at me," they hear someone else say.

Iqadi and Imanu turn around and see T'Challa, fresh from the infirmary and still healing, approaching them. The last Iqadi heard from him was when her mother said he was dead but then Imanu correcting those accusations. She has no time to rejoice in seeing her father alive because of their current situation. Before Iqadi could object to him being here, T'Challa silences her with one simple hand motion.

"Do as I say," T'Challa orders.

"But, Father - "

"Now!"

Iqadi nods. She watches her father climb up one of the trees her mother hasn't ripped out yet. When he leaps off, Iqadi creates a wind current strong enough to shoot him up to her mother. While in the air, T'Challa flies over to Ororo and grabs her with opened arms. Once they're tumbling down, Iqadi continues to use the wind to soften their fall. Iqadi and Imanu run over to them. T'Challa wraps his arms around his frantic wife.

"Ororo, listen to me!" T'Challa yells firmly, taking her head in his hands.

As he tries to explain everything, Ororo only stares. She doesn't see T'Challa holding her. She sees Ehioze taunting her as the flames continue to grow behind him. Her anger grows strongly.

"You killed my husband!" Ororo screams like an animal, breaking out of his arms.

She pushes him over and rises to her feet. Iqadi and Imanu pause as Ororo keeps her navy eyes on them. Ororo lifts a hand, using the wind to knock Iqadi off her feet and slide across the mud. Her gaze turns to Imanu who stands on the spot as Ororo approaches him. For a moment, Imanu catches her strong wall of rage break and her face softens.

"I told you to run," Ororo says to him softly.

Imanu exhales, realizing that Ororo sees him as himself. He remains calm the whole time as Ororo gets closer to him. He decides to use this to his advantage.

"My Queen," Imanu starts, holding back Iqadi and T'Challa. "You are being deceived."

Ororo stops as those words hit her. She looks around at her surroundings. The fire she thought was there slowly disappears. When she faces Imanu, something in her tells her to strike but as she raises an arm, she stops herself.

"There is someone or something in your mind," Imanu explains to her. "You need to listen to me to understand the truth. T'Challa is alive. He survived the fight. Fire is not what is destroying Wakanda. You are."

Ororo continues to stare at him, rain falling on her dampened hair. Her breaths are slow as her muscles loosen up. In her mind, the fraud flames disappear for good and she sees all the damage she caused. She brings a hand up to her mouth in shock as she falls to her knees. She screams loudly and a navy spirit escapes through her throat. It constructs into Ehioze.

Iqadi solves the puzzle. Nobody saw Ehoize fly away from the battle because he never left. She guesses that he possessed her mother while in her tornado.

Iqadi stands up, ready to face Ehoize. She looks over her shoulder and sees her father standing behind her.

"You have used all of her strength and power!" T'Challa exclaims. "Now feel the wrath of mine!"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- time to put this storm to an end**


	24. African Storms: Part Six

**_Recap_ \- Ororo finally found out the truth behind her weather abnormalities and it's time to put it all to an end.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: African Storms Part Six

 _Wakanda - 8:32 AM_

T'Challa charges, making the first attack at Ehioze who only throws his arms up in defense before returning his own attack. Iqadi is about to join the fight but takes a quick look at her mother and husband. Imanu is tending Ororo on the ground with soothing words. Her mother is faint but the storm she created is still going on all around them. Iqadi thought that because her mother was down that the storm would dim down with her, but apparently not.

Iqadi and her father can fight Ehioze, but only she can calm the storm.

Iqadi steps forwards. She takes a deep breath before planting her feet firmly on the ground and holds her hands up. Iqadi feels her eyes turn white and all the elements are in the control of her fingertips. She and her mother are no longer fighting for the power because it's now all hers at the moment. The only downfall is that she wishes she had all her energy to do a better job. She pours all that she has left into the storm that will send it away. Her swirling vortex is powerful to stop the rain, thunder, lightning, and wind, but the dark clouds remain.

She turns around and sees her father knee Ehioze in the face. Ehoize gives T'Challa one punch and because her father was still in pain from their previous fight, he flies in the air and slides on the ground. He grunts in pain, holding his side. T'Challa, covered in mud, struggles to get up as Ehioze charges at him.

It's giving them all flashbacks of what happened during this fight the first time around.

"Do not hurt him anymore!" Iqadi screams.

Iqadi throws an arm towards their battle and sends lightning bolts their way. Knownig his daughter, T'Challa remains on the ground as her bolts fly over his head. T'Challa is about to stop her but she silences him the way he did to her earlier. When Ehioze hits the ground, Iqadi charges over and kicks him across the face. She spits out some blood to the side as her hair drips on him.

"You have taken our nation and brought catastrophe to it!" She yells at him. "Not anymore!"

Iqadi turns her eyes white. She twists her fingers around to create wind funnels. She traps him in one and watching him swirl around, keeping herself on the outside to avoid the same brainwashing her mother went through. She pushes her arms outwards and keeps her eyes on him as he flies away.

Iqadi turns her eyes back to normal as she turns towards her family. Imanu holds Ororo on the ground, talking to her softly. T'Challa crawls over to his wife and takes her hand. Ororo looks at him and smiles lightly with tears of joy in her eyes. She immediately goes to hug him, kissing his all over his face. Iqadi sighs to herself, looking up to the grim sky bittersweetly.

"Father..." Iqadi mutters. "I am glad you are not dead."

T'Challa smiles up at her. "You are not having the throne yet."

"Oh, stop." She laughs a little.

T'Challa's smile brightens. Ororo looks over at Iqadi. Iqadi makes her way over and her mother kisses her hand.

"Thank you, my darling," Ororo tells her sincerely. "That is from your father and myself."

"Anything for my family and country," Iqadi responds.

Ororo tightens her grip on Iqadi's hand lovingly. Iqadi helps her parents up and the two of them begin heading back to the palace. Some guards approach them, helping their king and queen to lessen their pain. Iqadi dismisses the guards who offer help to her, only wanting them to help her parents.

Iqadi puts her hands on her hips and takes a satisfied breath, relieved that all this is over. She turns around and sees her husband still sitting on the ground.

"She saw me as myself," Imanu says about Ororo when she was in that trance. "Do you think there was a reason for that?"

Iqadi shrugs. "The mind is quite complicated. If it were not for you, we might have lost her and Wakanda forever."

Imanu nods as Iqadi pulls him up. Both of them are soaking wet and covered in mud but that doesn't stop anything. She holds him close and smiles at him.

"I would have never thought about sending the people underground," Iqadi says, proud of her husband for thinking of that strategy a while ago.

"Because you are claustrophobic," Imanu responds with a small laugh.

"Oh, hush..." Iqadi sighs. "I apologize."

"For what?"

Iqadi puts a hand to her temple. "I almost lost my mother due to all those stupid contingency plans."

"But you refused to use them."

"That is not the point, Imanu. These plans were meant to resolve problems when there are no other solutions available but they seem to cause more issues. Even the idea of it all caused us to lose - "

Imanu hugs her tightly, cutting her off. He holds her tenderly and Iqadi softly sobs in his arms.

"It is okay," Imanu whispers to her. "It was probably a sign telling us that we were not ready. I doubt that we still are now."

Iqadi wishes she could believe that. Imanu wishes the same. He only said that to be optimistic and Iqadi knows that. She loves him for at least trying to be optimistic though. If anything, he's been optimistic this whole time.

"I know but I still feel responsible for it all. God, Imanu, we were so close. The only thing I do not regret about creating that plan all those years ago was spending that day with you."

He smiles. Imanu kisses Iqadi, taking her by surprise which she slowly eases into. As he runs his hands through her damp and tangled hair, he can feel her smile a little before she wraps her arms over her shoulders. As they continue to kiss, eveyone comes out from underground, now looking up at the sky after Iqadi has swept it clean. Iqadi and Imanu both don't part from each other, but based on the warmth they feel on their bodies, they can sense the dark skies turning into the original forecast: sunshine and clear skies.

* * *

 **About what Iqadi and Imanu were discussing towards the end, feel free to take a guess. It will be revealed later in the story when something will come up again.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- how will the others in America react to all this?**


	25. Pause

**I'm no meteorologist so the weather science here might not make sense, but in a way it makes sense. Like if you don't think too much about it from a logical point of view, it will make sense. I don't know if those statements made sense but just go with it.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: Pause

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 8:22 AM_

Angela, Xavier, James, Merida, and Daniel walk through SHIELD's hallways. All around them, fellow agents work in their cubicles, all sweating to death, even with the air conditioning systems on full blast and electric fans pointing in their directions.

Recently, the weather has been on the extremely dry and humid side of the spectrum. It wasn't only happening here but all over the city and most parts of the world as well. It feels like the hottest summer ever even though it's only the middle of spring. No meteorologist could explain why since nobody predicted it beforehand, it literally just happened.

The team enters the room they were all called into and the screen in front of them shows the world map with an explosion of the warmest colors coming from the coast of Africa, representing a harsh storm with an enormous radius. As the map zooms in closer, they can see the storm with the strongest hit coming from Wakanda. With that, the pieces start to connect.

"Wakanda had quite the heavy storm," a voice tells them.

They all turn around and see Captain America approach them, star-spangled suit and all. At first, they're all surprised to see him but their shocked faces quickly turn into smiles.

"Dad!" Angela and Xavier exclaim like children.

"I see that your team is starting," Steve comments proudly.

"It's a work in progress," Xavier responds.

"How are you not dying in that suit?" James asks Steve due to the spandex in a brutal heat.

Steve chuckles a little. "Being frozen in the ice for seven decades really makes a guy appreciate the heat."

They all nod, agreeing with that point even if they didn't experience sleeping in the ice.

"So, are you going to tell us about this storm?" Merida asks.

"Right," Steve says. "Queen Ororo, under the control of someone or _something_ else, almost destroyed Wakanda and all of Africa with her weather manipulation abilities. Just imagine abusing all that power for destruction. The country was nearly flooded with heavy rains, and just take a guess at how they saved the day."

"Another storm," Daniel guesses confidently (and correctly). "Iqadi would've had to create a second storm on top of Ororo's to neutralize it. That explains all the dryness and humidity in the air. Queen Ororo and Iqadi basically took all the moisture to create rain."

"Do you think they could give it back?" Angela begs, fanning herself with her hand.

Daniel lowers her hand since Angela fanning herself with her hand actually increases her overall body temperature due to the energy being used to perform that action. Angela just sighs and ties up her hair instead. Merida enviously glares at her since no hair elastic could handle her curls.

"Wakanda's officials say that the meteorological equilibrium should be restored soon," Steve says.

"And how's everyone in Wakanda?" Daniel asks.

"Beaten and tired while restoring their country, but they're fine."

That's relieving to hear compared to what comes next.

"However," Steve says, changing the holograms. "Let's talk about this."

Before their eyes, the world map is switched with a new series of photos. It's a collage consisting of photos from all over the world such as Miami, New Orleans, Barcelona, and Sydney - specifically in relation to their first mission involving Ivory Gates. The pictures have all of them in it and nobody bothers to ask Steve where they all came from since the answer would definitely be along the lines of 'it's classified.'

"And I'm not going to bring up the intergalactic wrestling show," Steve states.

They're all silent even though Daniel is relieved for only that second point.

"The first I hear about your team is from you." Steve points right at Angela. "My own daughter labeled as a fugitive, running away from authorities in a pregnant lady disguise."

"Dad..." Angela moans, bringing a hand up to her temple. "Could you please spare me the lecture. The council already scolded me."

Steve softens up and mimics his daughter's action of bringing his hand up to his temple.

"This seems like a family matter so we'll be on our way," Merida says quickly.

Before her, James, and Daniel could make a run for it, Steve stops them instantly.

"This will involve all of you," Steve says.

"Dad," Xavier says, "are you getting to your point?"

"I am." Steve puts his hands squarely on his waist. "You all need more training. Your lack of experience might make you die young."

At first, they all laugh at that idea but stop when they don't see Steve laughing along. He's serious.

"You've got to be kidding," Xavier says to his dad. "Please tell me that you're kidding. We're better on the field than a training room."

Steve scoffs a little. "You sure about that, son? You're a team of five and you could barely take on a single kleptomaniac. What would happen if you were faced against Ororo's powers?"

"Get an umbrella?" James guesses.

"Your umbrella will fly away in an instant," Steve replies with no tolerance for that joke from James. "I will be training you myself."

Nobody likes the sound of that but it seems as if they have no other choice.

"I'll have you know that I taught myself quantum mechanics and made a teleportation device that brought us to space," James says, hoping that'll get him out of training.

"I don't care," Steve replies.

"Yeah...neither did the council."

Steve smiles a little. "C'mon, this will be fun. Take a pause on missions until you're properly trained to do them."

"But, Dad..." Angela nags. "Can we train when it's _not_ a heatwave?"

"No."

Steve begins making his way to the exit and the team follows reluctantly. Even if it was a day where it wasn't crazy humid, this was still going to be the _worst_ training session of their lives.

"Change into something cotton if you're so concerned about the heat," Steve tells them. "It's breathable."

-o-

The team follows Steve through SHIELD's hallways as Daniel trails behind. Daniel's walking pace slowly decreases on purpose. Once he was far back from the others without anybody noticing, he quickly turns the next corner, completely ditching them.

Daniel exhales in relief once he's on his own. There is no way in hell that he was going to train with _Captain America_. That would actually kill him. He wasn't made for combat and everyone knew that, but that didn't stop him from being dragged into those kinds of situations, even if it was against his will which it mostly is.

"Thought you could escape, huh?"

Daniel pauses as he hears footsteps approaching him. He curses to himself, thinking that he was so close to escaping. His first thought was that Steve found him but the voice behind him was everything Steve wasn't: feminine and British.

"I was close," Daniel responds, not turning around. "Admit it, Peggy."

"Not close enough," Peggy replies. "You need your training. What if someone holds you at gunpoint?"

Daniel doesn't even flinch when he feels the tip of her gun against the back of his head.

"You can't shoot me with an empty gun," Daniel tells her.

He turns around as Peggy lowers her empty gun. She loads it before holstering it. Even if it was loaded, she wouldn't have pulled the trigger.

"I will be training you myself," Peggy says.

"Fine," Daniel responds with dread.

That is the only right answer. Even if he said no, he would still be forced to partake in it. It's basically like talking to Angela.

Peggy smiles. "I'm so happy you agreed because that was an order."

* * *

 **The training is basically a second part to this in-between chapter and it will be posted sometime later.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Training can't be that bad, can it?**


	26. Back to the Training Wheels

**_Recap_ \- Captain America and Peggy Carter decide to teach the team some of the basics, what could possibly go wrong?**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: Back to the Training Wheels

 _SHIELD's Training Facility - 10:07 AM_

Even though Angela, Xavier, Merida, and James all changed into cotton tank tops and shorts, it was still boiling hot inside the training room - so hot that there were no other agents or recruits training in there. Steve, still wearing the spandex suit (without breaking a single sweat, which nobody understands), thought it was a benefit to having the place to themselves. He was the only one who thought that.

"Push-ups," Steve orders. "Fifty."

Everyone drops their arms. Nobody likes the sound of that.

"What?" Merida questions.

"Fighting isn't the only type of physical exertion," Steve replies. "You can or you _should_ build your upper body strength." He glances at James who's already grinning at him. "And no amount of money could get you out of this."

They all groan before dropping to the ground. They run through drill after drill until there's no time to think. Muscles retain memory when one trains repetitively. Hand-to-hand combat is unpredictable and every second one is engaged increases the risk of losing, which is why push-ups are the start.

"Lesson number one - never let someone take your fights for you," Steve tells them.

"Any more of your sage wisdom, Dad?" Xavier asks, a tad annoyed as he rises from his push-up.

"A few, actually: keep off streets when you could access any secluded area. Never use stairs when someone can roll or throw a grenade down them - didn't that happen with Ivory?"

"Well, yeah, but - "

"Always shoot twice: once to kill and the other to further slow the nervous system for stealth. Only give a fake address when using a cab for undercover missions. The best way to get across some barbed wire is to have someone lie on it first and let someone take the wires for you."

Xavier laughs a little. "That last one is a joke, right?"

Steve just looks down at his son. Xavier immediately diverts his eyes and continues his push-ups.

-o-

Elsewhere, Peggy hurtles towards him. Daniel braces himself against the instinctive panic. The anticipation of one more hit tightens every muscle in his body, despite her barely putting any effort and going easy on him. He squeezes his eyes shut moments before impact - an impact that never came.

"Stop closing your eyes."

Daniel forces one eye open and then the other. Peggy stands in front of him, her right fist in mid-swing towards his cheek.

"It makes it easier for people to sneak up on you," Peggy continues. "When you close your eyes, it makes you vulnerable. You must be fully aware of your surroundings - never underestimate the stealth of a criminal mastermind.

Daniel scoffs. "Criminal mastermind."

-o-

"I already know how you're going down based on how you're standing," Steve tells James.

"Really?" James replies, surprised when he shouldn't be.

"You speak physics so you should understand that you have a low center of gravity which is always the first to go down in battle since it's the first thing you'd forget. Also, your height is at a five, maybe six-inch disadvantage in comparison to me, and your muscle factor is way too slow."

James' jaw drops at the accuracy of those statements. "Okay, maybe that's true, but - "

"I wasn't done." Steve smiles. "Your thoughts have a less practical approach when it comes to strategy since you believe in instinct or that 'gut feeling.' You use your size-changing abilities, bio-electricity blasts, and charm to seem much more superior."

"Well - "

"Not to mention your insecurities which involve leaving your left side open and back unwatched."

James has no response due to being left with literally nothing to say and suddenly having the wind knocked out of him. He hits the ground and feels himself getting pinned down by Angela. She looks up at her father who's smiling proudly at his daughter

"Just like your mother," he comments.

"I can't breathe!" James exclaims, slapping the ground.

"My entire body is stronger than yours, babe," Angela says to her boyfriend who's flailing at her tight grip. "That's why I can easily pin you in less than ten seconds."

"Because I let you!" James yells, gasping for air. "Because I love you."

"Sure, babe, sure."

Merida and Xavier glance at each other. They both know why Steve is tougher on James than the others - he's the one sleeping with the overprotective old man's daughter.

"Think your dad could give me that kind of palm reading?" Merida asks Xavier.

-o-

After another round with Peggy, Daniel becomes much more familiar with how to fight with his fists. After all, muscles retain memory.

His eyes divert towards Peggy's arm which heads in his direction. He ducks, expecting her arm to whoosh over his head but like before, nothing comes. Daniel warily looks up and sees Peggy standing to the side with her back facing him. He stands up straight, wondering if this is a part of the sparring, but stands down when he hears Peggy on the phone.

"Are you bloody serious?" Peggy whispers harshly on the phone. "How could this have happened?!

Daniel takes a few cautious steps towards Peggy. She looks over at him and Daniel mirrors the look of alarm on her face.

-o-

After a rigorous training session, the four of them lie dead tired on the gym floor, panting like dogs for air. Their lungs are on fire and their hair and clothes are soaking wet with sweat. The added humidity makes it all a living hell for them, well, not for Steve since he enjoyed every minute of it.

"That was worse than Camp SHIELD," Merida wheezes miserably.

"Agreed," the others mumble, barely moving their mouths.

They hear a key card being inserted into the door, meaning that someone is coming in. Nobody has the energy to see who it is. For all they know, it could be some kind of killer but they're too exhausted to fight back - if a killer were to murder them, it would be useless since they're all basically dead already.

"Hey, Peg," Steve greets, "Daniel."

"Blimey, what happened here?" Peggy asks on behalf of her and Daniel as to what they're seeing as the result of Steve's training.

"Where were you the whole damn time?" Xavier asks Daniel, wanting to point at him but his arms are in excruciating pain.

"I ditched all of you back in the hallway," Daniel replies.

"Mom," Angela says, "I know that look on your face. What's wrong."

Peggy sighs. "I have terrible news. While I was training Daniel, I got a phone call from SHIELD's prison warden. He called to let me know that Ivory Gates has escaped prison."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- what will the team be doing about Ivory's escape?**


	27. Spies on a Sub: Part One

**_Copyright_ \- Avengers Assemble (Marvel Animations)**

 ** _Recap_ \- After a strenuous training session, the team received word that Ivory Gates has escaped prison**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Spies on a Sub Part One

 _Location Classified - Present Day - 23:42 PM_

Merida sits on a chair with the back of the object on her chest, pretty lax for an agent facing her superiors also known as the Council all while in the middle of a debriefing. Her arms are crossed and her fingers on one hand tap annoyedly on her elbow since these sessions really know how to test her patience.

 _Council: Agent Barton, I want to remind you that you are under oath._

"Look," Merida says, standing up from her chair. "Let's cut the crap, Sir. I know what I did and I know why I'm being held responsible. If you want to know where things _really_ went south, it all started out with those two..."

-o-

 _Darkhan, Mongolia - Five Days Ago - 20:08 PM_

It's silent and empty in a dusty Mongolian apartment. From its appearance, it seems as if this apartment has been vacant for months, maybe even years; though little belongings and pieces of furniture rest, it's all just covered in a heavy layer of filth.

"Geez..." Someone says, shuffling through the apartment. "Someone needs a maid. Or better yet, a fumigation service."

"You're one to talk," a second someone replies, obviously sarcastic.

"Hey, I clean up my messes."

She rolls her eyes. "After I tell you to. You're the primary reason as to why I have to buy red hair dye."

"Off topic, but what are we looking at again?"

She groans in frustration. "Make that red hair dye and aspirin."

He chuckles playfully. "You love me, Natasha."

Natasha gives Clint one of her signature ice-cold glares. After over two decades of marriage, missions, Merida, and the many years of partnership before all those and the romance; Clint Barton still managed to find a new nerve in Natasha's body to annoy. Even though The Avengers have loosened their reins on saving the world because of their ages and their kids now available, willing, and eager to do so; Clint and Natasha were still active. In fact, they may be considered more active than before. Thanks to Merida now being an adult and living on her own, Clint and Natasha had nothing better to do than go out and do missions. However, there was one condition: the duo was _extremely_ selective on who they do missions for.

"I really don't," Natasha replies. "And we're looking for a folder."

"It must contain some old documents if it's hidden in here," Clint says, blowing some dust off of an armoire.

Clint continues to eye the apartment: old couch, an old table, old painting on the old wall above the old couch - that's where his eyes fixate because there is something peculiar about the painting. Clint steps closer to the painting and on the delicately painted canvas of the ocean, there is not one speck of dust in sight.

"A new painting in an old place..." Clint mutters, capturing Natasha's attention.

Climbing on the couch, Clint lifts the painting off the wall and gently places it on the floor, leaning it against the table. He sees a carved outline of a rectangle on the wall that has been freshly painted over with a color similar to the wall. Natasha stands beside him on the couch and traces the outline with her fingertips. She knocks and hears an echo, meaning that it's hollow. She pulls out a pocketknife from her utility belt and starts carving. It slices easily, like butter, but then she stops.

"Do you hear that?" Natasha asks.

It's a small and slow ticking noise that accelerates.

"Get down!" Natasha yells at Clint.

There was practically no time. Almost immediately, Clint grabs Natasha and uses his strength to launch them both off the couch, putting himself between her and the wall as it blows just before their eyes. Clint and Natasha smash through the table and land on the ground. Dust, wood shards, and wall plaster fly and land around them. Before they could react, dozens upon dozens of armed officers burst in with their weapons, surrounding them.

"You can't be in here!" An officer yells at them.

"We know," Clint replies casually, "hence why we had to sneak and break in. Sorry about blowing the lock, by the way, we didn't have a key."

Natasha rolls her eyes at her idiotic husband. "Do you want to hit them or should I?"

Weapons are lifted before the chief officer holds back his men for some reason. Clint and Natasha get up by his order and as the reach for their weapons, the weapons are cocked which makes them freeze.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," the chief says. "We have a reason for you to cooperate with us."

"And what's that?" Natasha asks.

The chief pulls out a tablet from his uniform and holds it up for them. He shows Clint and Natasha a live stream. It consists of Merida in her apartment putting groceries away. Then the video pans to a nearby building that has a man on the rooftop with an armed sniper pointed right at her. Clint and Natasha suddenly tense up at that sight.

"That's not real," Natasha says. "Those are just your lies."

"Agent Romanoff, this is authentic," the chief says. "Test it out yourself with a phone call but do not mention this or my agent will pull the trigger on your daughter."

Natasha quickly glances at Clint. He nods his head, saying to go with the phone call. Natasha takes out her phone and dials Merida's number as a gun get pointed right to her own forehead. All eyes are on the video and Clint and Natasha's hearts skip a beat when they hear Merida's cell phone ring in the video. They watch as Merida walks across her kitchen to pick it up from her counter.

 _Merida: Hi, Mom. What's up?_

Natasha is frozen in shock by hearing Merida's voice in the video and her ear. The gun gets butted against her forehead and Natasha takes a quick breath.

"Your father and I are just browsing through an old antique shop," Natasha lies casually to keep her cover up. "We're just browsing for something small to decorate your apartment."

 _Merida: That sounds boring and I don't care much for antiques. Has Dad broken anything yet?_

Natasha laughs a little. "Watch what you say, Мериде. Your words, unlike others, always have a way of making their way back around. Back in a bit."

Natasha ends the call and her phone gets snatched by the chief. With the life of their daughter at risk, Clint and Natasha surrender their weapons and allow for their heads to be bagged and arms and legs to be bounded.

-o-

 _Location Classified - Present Day - 23:44 PM_

 _Council: You're really going to put your parents under the bus for your mess?_

All the council members are obviously disgusted with Merida. She only smirks at that.

"I think a better term to use would be under the water," Merida replies, being the only one who laughs at that statement afterwards.

* * *

 **This is a story arc where you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to when each event is taking place (the little italicized subheadings)**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What exactly did Merida mean by 'under the water'?**


	28. Spies on a Sub: Part Two

**_Recap_ \- after being cornered on a mission with their daughter's life at risk, Clint and Natasha found themselves going into the unknown**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Spies on a Sub Part Two

 _Location Classified - Present Day - 23:46 PM_

 _Council: Are you sure about your statements? You really have the nerve to blame two SHIELD alumni, two Avengers, and first and foremost your parents?_

"Yeah," Merida says, seeing no problem with that. "Those oh-so honorable SHIELD alumni, Avengers, and parents of mine put a goddamn sniper on my back! Admit it, you would do the same thing I'm doing."

A Council member sighs, deciding to change the topic.

 _Council: What does this have to do with the escape of Ivory Gates?_

"Finally, a useful question." Merida grins. "I'm glad you finally asked. It was incredibly convenient for her escape and my parents' mission to happen at the same time, don't you think?"

 _Council: We don't follow._

"Of course you don't. That's why these debriefings exist. Now, sit tight and listen carefully because I would rather not repeat myself."

-o-

 _Somewhere in the Baltic Sea - Three Days Ago - Time Unknown_

Two whole days pass for Clint and Natasha since Mongolia, at least, that's how much time passed according to the mental clocks in their heads. They could've been here for a whole month for all they know. They woke up in a moist and slimy room, both of them sitting on opposite ends with their backs facing one another and their wrists bound to pipes above their heads with twist-ties. They've already been stripped of anything that could be used as a potential weapon, even Natasha's hair pins and earrings were no longer on her.

"Do you have any idea as to where we are?" Natasha asks Clint even though they were both bagged at the same time.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Clint replies with a shrug. "Although my ears are popping whenever I open my mouth to say something, so we're either at a high altitude or a low one."

Natasha sighs. "So that narrows it down to being in the air or in the ground. _Great_."

Natasha slumps down as far as her restraints will allow her to as Clint shifts his position into something that's not as painful. They both sit in silence with the exception of Clint's whistling which stops with a sharp note when someone walks in. It's an almost middle-aged man with slicked back hair, a little bit of stubble growing on his face, and a sharp over-priced suit. With that appearance, they could only assume that he's the one in charge of this whole operation. He holds a gun in his hands and points it up, unsure of who out of the two to aim it at. He turns it to Natasha who doesn't even flinch.

"I'll kill your wife," the man tells Clint.

"Okay," Clint says (surprisingly) liberally, "she hogs the sheets at night anyways. I get cold easily, by the way. She's Russian, she grew up in a frozen tundra so she _should_ be used to the cold but _no_." He stretches that word for way too long in a childish manner. "She has to steal _my_ warmth for _her_ ice cold soul."

The man blinks, not expecting that response at all. He aims the gun at Clint, waiting for a response from Natasha.

"Go ahead," Natasha says, smiling. "I've been meaning to get a divorce and you shooting him would result in _way_ less paperwork and I don't have to hire a lawyer or split my life's savings. Not to mention that I'll also get all of his money. Besides, I'm already the Black _Widow_ so why not be an actual _widow_?"

Clint laughs as the man gets frustrated and leaves. Once the agents are alone, the atmosphere of the room goes from light-hearted and comedic to silent and serious. As if he was really going to shoot them when they're already in his control. That little stunt did make a nice laugh for them, though.

"Do you think that our non-existent extraction team knows we're here?" Clint asks Natasha.

"We don't even know we're here," Natasha replies.

"We can bet that someone is looking for us. Do you think Merida and her friends are? I'd like to believe they are."

Natasha sighs. "Whatever fills your glass half-full."

Clint snickers a little. "I'll fill my glass half-full for the both of us."

-o-

 _SHIELD Headquarters - Three Days Ago - 14:10 PM_

"This is smart, right?" Xavier asks for the fourth time about his combat strategy that's currently being displayed via a hologram. "Is it good or just awful?"

Angela isn't sure as she has her head resting on her arm since she's finding it so difficult to focus on whatever her brother is saying. James continues to neutrally nod his head even though Xavier stopped talking which is an indicator that he wasn't listening to this whole time. Merida shrugs, placing her hands on her lap. Daniel takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes.

Xavier sighs, bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. "This is why Ivory escaped: we don't have a solid strategy when it comes to her."

"I need a break," Daniel says, getting up to dismiss himself. "I can't see straight."

"You wear glasses!"

Merida stands up. "I'll be back."

Merida heads for the door and slams James' bobblehead against the table on her way out. He screams in pain as Merida closes the door behind her. She walks down SHIELD's corridor and bends down to take a drink from the water fountain. A beam of light catches her eyes which causes her to pause. She looks out the window and tilts her head a little at what that may have been. Assuming it was only a trick of the light, Merida shrugs and heads back to her team. She walks back in, ignoring the glare James is giving her. Her face is a bit puzzled, almost confused as if her mind is focused on something located somewhere else.

"Merida?" Angela questions.

"Are we allowed to enlist rookie agents to help us?"

"I guess if we count it as their on-the-field training then their supervisors would allow it. Why?"

"Please tell me you have an idea on how to find Ivory," Xavier begs.

Merida nods. "The only way to defeat the enemy is by getting to know them. What do we have on Ivory Gates that could help us?"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Clint and Natasha ever find a way out that won't end up in Merida getting shot? Will the team ever track down Ivory wherever she may be? And do the two situations have anything in common?**


	29. Spies on a Sub: Part Three

**_Recap_ \- Clint and Natasha are still trapped somewhere while Merida has a plan for something not relating to her parents**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Spies on a Sub Part Three

 _Somewhere in the Baltic Sea - Two Days Ago - Time Unknown_

A blaring alarm wakes Clint and Natasha from their nodding off. They both try their best to look at each other in alert and with a slight hope that something in their favor is happening so they could escape. The alarm silences and their door opens. Several armed guards waltz into their room. Two guards cut the restraints off of Clint and Natasha and force them onto their feet, other guards have their weapons pointed at them just in case.

"You know the consequences that will follow if you don't cooperate," they get reminded.

Clint and Natasha obey and go where they're told. Their steps are slow at first since this is the first time they're walking after sitting stiffly in the same position for days. They enter a much brighter, spacious, luxurious, and cleaner room with posh furniture and a window that has a view of the ocean - telling the agents that they're underwater. They see the same man from yesterday who pointed the gun at them. He's sitting in the center of a round velvet sofa, wearing a crisp white suit and a freshly shaven face.

"It's your lucky day!" He tells Clint and Natasha excitedly. "Someone is here to rescue you."

Clint and Natasha don't smile or jump for joy in any way because they simply can't believe it. Still, they turn their heads towards the doorway where a woman in a slick scuba suit enters the room, raven hair dripping wet from the ocean (since she swam down here from the surface herself). Her emerald green eyes immediately land on the spies. She grins, only making her sharp cheekbones appear to be more pronounced. All in all, she's an all too familiar face to other people but them.

"Ivory!" The man exclaims gleefully, going over to greet her.

"Sergei Sorokin," Ivory replies with a flirty tone in her voice. And now there is a name to the man who owns the submarine and kidnapped the spies. "I see you have some hostages who are highly in my interest."

"They're not for sale, just show and tell. Look, but don't touch."

"Well, I didn't come for you or your recreational submarine." She lightly pushes him to the side, taking a few steps closer to Clint and Natasha. Her eyes examine them from head to toe. "How about a trade?"

Clint and Natasha could tell that Sergei's plan was to get some sort of profit off of them. Before Sergei could interrupt, Ivory removes a part of the scuba suit that covers her hand. She slips a ring off her pointer finger and holds it out to him. It's emerald gem and silver band, though a vague description, is recognized by Clint and Natasha in a way that makes their jaws drop.

"The lives of these two Avengers to be under my custody for this ring. In case you're an uncultured swine who is unfamiliar with this piece of beautiful jewelry, it's Emily Stark's engagement ring. It may not have been billions of dollars in cost but it has no price on an emotional level."

Sergei looks tempted but his brows cross in disbelief.

"How the hell did you get that ring?!" Clint yells at her.

Ivory rolls her eyes in annoyance. "I'm a kleptomaniac, how else did you think I'd get it?"

"He has a point," Sergei says. "How do I know that this ring is the real one?"

Ivory takes his tablet and pulls up the most recent news articles from several credible sources. They all have headlines and pictures of a distraught Emily Stark and her missing engagement ring. Sergei tilts his heads upwards a little, in need of more persuasion. For more convincing, Ivory pulls a keycard from a lanyard around her neck which unlocks any SHIELD prison (what she used to escape in the first place).

"Deal," Sergei states.

"Perfect," Ivory replies. She looks over at Clint and Natasha who are giving her the dirtiest look. "Follow me."

"Hey!" Clint exclaims. "First off, I am much more valuable than a ring and keycard. Second, don't Nat and I have a say on where the hell we go?!"

Ivory doesn't even blink. "You can say a eulogy at your daughter's funeral."

Clint stands down, tensing up at the mention of his daughter's funeral. Even with Sergei out of the picture, giving himself and Natasha to Ivory now puts her in charge of the sniper on Merida's back. Ivory leads them through the submarine alone. Though Sergei insisted, Ivory declined to have guards trail her, claiming that if she could escape SHIELD's heavily guarded prisons and have Merida's life under the control of her fingertips, then she could handle anything thrown at her.

"Merida will get shot if you two misbehave, you both know that," Ivory tells them. "Is this how you ever imagined a possible demise for you two? Here at the bottom of the ocean because of your daughter?"

Clint and Natasha don't respond, not wanting to deal with her. Ivory snickers as she brushes her hair to the side. The two of them spot something odd on the back of Ivory's left shoulder. Natasha subtly nudges Clint who's already grinning.

-o-

Sergei admires the ring in his hands. How Ivory managed to escape from SHIELD, steal Emily Stark's engagement ring, and locate his submarine is something he'll never understand. This could play a valuable part in his overall plan to get rid of Project: New Generation since Clint and Natasha were getting in his way in Mongolia. And now that they're gone, this ring will do the rest. Emily will be an emotional disaster with her missing ring and from what he's heard, read, and studied, she is the center of the group.

"Boss," a guard says to Sergei, "you must see this."

The guard shows Sergei a couple of brand new articles involving Emily Stark in the airport. The one part of the articles that stick out for him are the pictures, specifically the pictures of Emily and her beautiful engagement ring that shouldn't be there. Then it hits Sergei that the ring Ivory gave him and her articles were all frauds.

"No..." he mutters, reaching for the SHIELD keycard she gave him.

Sergei scratches the surface of the keycard and paint chips off. He continues to pick away at it and it turns out to be a fraud as well - a coffee shop gift card. Sergei thrashes in anger, throwing it and the fake ring against the wall of his submarine.

"Stop her!" He orders. "Stop her now!"

-o-

Ivory holds up a hand, stopping the agents who trail behind her as they hear the echo of a loud scream. They look ahead and see their path suddenly blocked by Sergei and his guards. Even from where they came from, there are guards. Sergei walks closer to Ivory, showing the live stream of Merida.

"I just needed a few more minutes..." Ivory grits softly through her teeth.

"Shoot her," he orders his man behind the sniper pointed at Merida.

 _Sniper Operative: Copy that, boss._

"No!" Natasha exclaims, launching herself on Sergei before being pulled back. She claws at his face like a ferocious animal.

"What the hell?!" Clint screams. "We followed every one of your damn orders! You can't shoot out daughter because of what this thief did to you!"

"Don't you dare touch my Детский! I'll kill you!"

-o-

 _New York, USA - Two Days Ago - 2:12 AM_

She knows that she shouldn't be on the streets at this hour, especially in the bad neighborhood she lives in.

Merida walks through the empty streets, heading back to her apartment after a long day at work. Her head is down, bracing against the harsh winds and her hands are tightly shoved in her jacket's pockets. She suddenly feels something vibrate in the back pockets of her jeans, realizing that it's only her cell phone. Merida stops on the street corner as she pulls out her phone to see a new text message from an unknown number,

 _Unknown: The order has been given._

Merida stops, exhaling a breath that she can see in the cold dark night. She looks up and sees the same glint of light from the other day and it finally hits her that she has been watched this whole time. Then she drops her phone and as it hits the ground, a red laser dot appears on her heart.

Before she turns around to run, she feels the shot penetrate into her body. Despite seeing that coming, Merida's mouth still opens in surprise as she falls lifelessly to the ground.

* * *

 **Remember what I said at the end of part one?**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will happen for Clint and Natasha now?**


	30. Spies on a Sub: Part Four

**_Recap_** **\- after a lie done by Ivory Gates in order to get Clint and Natasha, Merida was ordered to be shot dead and the task was completed.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty: Spies on a Sub Part Four

 _Somewhere in the Baltic Sea - Two Days Ago - Time Unknown_

The tension builds in the corridor where Ivory and the assassins are cornered by Sergei and his henchmen. Ivory doesn't look at Clint or Natasha but has her eyes sharply focused on the man who called the shot on Merida - Sergei. Clint and Natasha are completely blank, no identifiable expression on their faces since their daughter just got shot dead right before their eyes because of Ivory. Sergei, however, is very satisfied that his plan for eliminating Project: New Generation is working (even if this was not his original plan).

"You've been very naughty for playing with me, Miss. Gates," Sergei scolds her. "Every item that you have given me is a fraud and for that, there are consequences. I am giving The Avengers full permission to kill you for killing their daughter."

Ivory doesn't respond, her face doesn't twitch the slightest. Instead, her eyes narrow as a way to pierce them through Sergei as she acceptingly puts her hands up in surrender. Her signature flirty grin makes an appearance as she turns to face Clint and Natasha. The guards return their weapons to them and they load them in the blink of an eye. To everyone's surprise, the weapons remain unfired.

"What are you waiting for?!" Sergei yells impatiently.

"First, show me the video of Merida," Clint orders him. "I want to see my daughter myself."

"Denial, I see. That's completely normal for a grieving parent. I'll show you your daughter."

Sergei pulls up the video of Merida from his tablet.

 _The video shows Merida lying on the sidewalk, not moving, as expected since she was shot dead. The camera then pans up to a nearby rooftop where the shooter is seen packing up his weapon. The shooter looks right into the camera and they see a young man who flashes the SHIELD badge on his jacket with the help of the moonlight. He winks at the camera as he waves goodbye and runs off into the darkness._

"What is this?!" Sergei exclaims.

 _The camera then pans to Merida who lies dead on the sidewalks. Her skin is a strange pale shade with dark tinges of blue in it. Once the blue fades away and her skin color returns, Merida shoots up and gasps for air. She suddenly scratches at the edges of her face which begin to pixelate. Her face peels right off and reveals itself to be a holographic mask. Her red curls - which were a wig - fall to the ground and reveal a young woman with a brunette pixie cut. She also looks right at the camera, playfully winks at it, and punches it._

The video cuts out. In summary, it wasn't the assigned shooter or Merida but some random SHIELD agents in their places. Sergei is pissed, Clint and Natasha are happily grinning, and Ivory's expression doesn't change but she has lowered her arms.

"How can this be?!" Sergei demands since it's obvious that he's the only one with no idea as to what's going on.

"Do you really think _our_ daughter would allow a sniper to follow her around?" Natasha questions him rhetorically. "We raised her to be smarter than that. When your goons captured us in Mongolia and told us to call Merida to prove that your live stream was legit, I took that opportunity to tell Merida that she was going to be followed. You just didn't catch that."

Natasha crosses her arms in pride as Ivory rolls her eyes all this. Clint snickers at Sergei who raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"You look confused," Clint points out. "Allow me to explain. You see, while our little Merida was growing up, my wife taught her how to speak many languages. I'm telling you, Merida was so fluent in so many languages that you could drop her anywhere in the world and she'll find a way to communicate even if she doesn't speak their tongue."

"Get to your point," Ivory states with an angered tone. "I don't have all day."

"You wait or I will actually shoot you," Clint responds. "Anyways, Natasha and I also taught Merida how to speak in spy language. Now, take notes Sergei, spy language is when you take the first words of a given prose to make a separate message."

Natasha takes over, reciting her phone call in Mongolia. "'Watch what you say, Мериде. Your words, unlike others, always have a way of making their way back around. Back in a bit.' Which translates to three simple words: watch your back."

"But Merida probably didn't know what _exactly_ she was looking for or if she even caught onto the espionage code, but it can't be that hard to spot a sniper, right Ivory?"

Ivory huffs in annoyance and crosses her arms, extremely annoyed to be here. "Yes."

Sergei pieces all this new information together and comes to the conclusion that Merida wasn't shot but is on the submarine. He immediately orders for all his men to search every square inch of this place for that redhead. They all disperse in seconds, leaving Sergei with Clint and Natasha, and Ivory. Ivory claps her lips together and starts laughing to herself about all this. Sergei shoots a glare in her direction.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" He yells, not in the mood to deal with her right now.

"You," Ivory replies.

Sergei pulls out his gun and points it at Ivory though it doesn't seem to faze her at all. She sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Let's continue explaining how spy language works," Ivory says. "We'll use something I said earlier." She looks up to fake some thinking gesture, tapping her pointer finger on her chin. "How about we use what I told these Avengers during our exit before you rudely interrupted us: 'Merida will get shot if you two misbehave, you both know that. Is this how you ever imagined a possible demise for you two? Here at the bottom of the ocean because of your daughter.' How about you translate that for us."

Sergei pauses to think. He applies his new knowledge on spy language and gets: _Merida. Is. Here_. Then he frowns, keeping his gun pointed up at Ivory as he fumes at her. Ivory fakes an applause for him.

"It's you," he says, cocking the gun.

"So it seems," Ivory replies.

Ivory's face - or what everyone thought was her face - twists into a digital glitch and flickers out, just like what happened to the Merida in the live stream after she rose from the dead. Their faces weren't faces at all, but SHIELD's remote holographic interfaces. The face that everyone sees now is the real Merida Barton. She discards her mask and yanks off her off-kilter wig from her head. She drops it to the floor and the infamous red curls bounce free.

"Before you shoot, let me thank you," Merida says to Sergei. "The unplanned plan was going down right under your nose. Thank you for getting rid of your henchmen which now leaves you vulnerable to three SHIELD agents and thanks for opening the door for me. It makes my job a whole lot easier."

Merida immediately jumps up and kicks Sergei's gun out of his hand with one foot. While in the air, she spins around and knocks him unconscious with her other foot.

* * *

 **Merida to the rescue!**

 _ **Stay Tuned**_ **\- now how are they going to get out of the water?**


	31. Spies on a Sub: Part Five

**I can now confirm that Sigyn will be appearing in chapter 67 and Apollo will be here in chapter 68.**

 _ **Recap**_ **\- after Merida was revealed to not only be a fraud but also Ivory in disguise, that only leaves her and her parents to make their escape.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: Spies on a Sub Part Five

 _Location Classified - Present Day - 23:49 PM_

Merida sighs. "To be honest - which I kind of have to be since I'm under oath - I didn't really catch on to the whole spy language when my mom said it to me over the phone. I started to be suspicious when the sniper's reflection flashed in my eyes and that's when it all started making sense. I knew my parents got themselves in trouble. Then I made my plan: have a rookie SHIELD sharpshooter take care of the real sniper on my back while I got a SHIELD rookie to masquerade as me - both seeming real and giving them some field training. I went into a brief period of hiding to find my parents and used the opportunity of Ivory's escape to disguise as her when I found my parents. Pretty smart, huh?"

The Council doesn't respond. Merida feels proud of herself and she would like to believe that the Council is just _so impressed_ with her plan that they're speechless, but that's not the case since Merida knows that they couldn't care less.

"Now, I know how James feels about his quantum crap," Merida mumbles bitterly.

 _Council: So, you faked the news about Ivory's escape just so you could use her as a disguise to rescue your parents?_

"No, she actually escaped. It's just great that it happened when I needed it to."

The Council glares at her.

-o-

 _Somewhere in the Baltic - Two Days Ago - Time Unknown_

As Clint and Natasha verify that Sergei is unconscious and locked up against a drainpipe, Merida pulls out a blueprint of the submarine and holds it up. She makes a trail with her eyes as she follows the dotted lines on the blueprint. Her parents look over her shoulders, unsure of what Merida's strategy is.

"I told you that tattoo would be useful," Merida tells her parents. "How else would you have really known it was me and not Ivory?"

Merida's arrow tattoo on the back of her left shoulder is what Clint and Natasha found as strange when Ivory shifted her hair. Then applying the spy language to her words is what sealed the deal that Merida was actually Ivory in disguise. Her quiver and bow were hiding in her real hair, all underneath the wig.

"Do you have a plan?" Natasha asks Merida.

"Dressing up as Ivory was my plan," Merida replies. "Then I was hoping just to walk out. As for what happens now, I'll wing something."

"Do you have a ride out of here?"

"Nope. I literally swam down here myself."

"An extraction team?"

"I didn't even tell _my_ own team that I was leaving. They knew I was hiding and I was doing so in our own quinjet since nobody would check there with my duplicate running around as me. I found your location in the middle of the night so I left my friends these coordinates on a sticky note that I stuck on our quinjet's coffee machine because waking them all up is just a waste of precious time. Hopefully, if my timing is right, someone will wake up three hours after I left and decides that they need their morning coffee."

Clint facepalms, Natasha mutters disgracefully in Russian, and Merida folds her blueprints to start leading the way. With weapons ready to shoot, they end up entering a corridor full of guards and start fighting.

Natasha flips over Clint and shoots her two guns at them all at once. Clint grabs one guard by his arm and swings him around to collide with another. Merida feels one guard pounce on her back. She grunts as she stumbles forwards. Merida quickly regains her balance and rams him into a wall. Natasha lunges, using her signature thigh choke to send two of them down at once.

Clint gets grabbed in a chokehold as another charges at him. He leaps in the air to kick over the oncoming one. Once his feet plant on the ground, he pulls an arrow out of his quiver and stabs it behind him. Merida grabs a guard with her bow and uses the string to slit his throat.

Merida glances at a nearby window and sees the ocean on the other side. That gives her an idea.

"Mom, Dad, hold your breath!" Merida exclaims.

Merida fires an arrow at the window, shattering it. The guards all look in surprise and Merida and her parents use this distraction of the rushing water pouring in to run out. Knowing the value of the submarine, Merida knew that the window would self-seal, which it did.

Merida rushes her parents into a certain room and locks the door behind them. Their eyes fall on the torpedos which they know will be their way out. Merida opens the torpedo as Natasha sets a timer off for it to launch. The three of them enter the torpedo and the moment Clint seals it shut, it launches. They hold on tightly as they speed through the water but then, the resistance lightens and they relax.

"We're in the air," Natasha says.

The controls in the torpedo start flashing, implementing a self-destruct that was ordered from Sergei's submarine.

"Oh, god..." Merida mutters.

Natasha starts pushing all the buttons she could to get the controls to quiet down and override the order, but nothing is working. She slams her fists down in defeat.

"As if this day couldn't get any worse," Clint grumbles.

"There are no parachutes in this stupid thing," Merida says. "I'm pretty sure it's just for decoration. Stupid blueprints didn't mention that."

"Never mind."

Instead of a gigantic explosion which is what they were expecting, it simply begins falling apart piece by piece in the matter of seconds. In the spur of the moment, Clint pulls out a grappeling hook arrow and passes it to Natasha. Before she got the chance to pass it to Merida, the floor of the torpedo breaks beneath them and the three of them are suddenly free falling, but at least Clint and Natasha are attached to each other. Merida continues to fall faster than her parents, grateful that at least she'll land in torpedo-debris filled water instead of concrete.

Clint suddenly feels someone above him grab his free hand with a tight grip. He looks up in surprise and sees Xavier holding him and Natasha up as a quinjet reveals its true appearance underneath the reflective panels. They all look down at Merida who manages to get her bow in her hands. She fires an arrow upwards which securely stabs the quinjet and she calls herself up.

"Aye, you found my note!" Merida exclaims gratefully.

"I almost drank it," Xavier replies, laughing as he pulls them all in the quinjet.

-o-

 _Location Classified - Present Day - 23:55 PM_

 _Council: What you did was wreckless and irresponsible. You put two of our new recruits at risk on a mission that you didn't inform your superiors about!_

Merida rolls her eyes, not caring about her teenager-like attitude in an adult situation. She finds the Council to be extremely dense and thick-skinned when it comes to these debriefings.

"I am at that point where I literally do not care about what you call protocol for what classifies as a proper mission since it was a success," Merida starts. "Would you rather have me dead at the hand of a sniper while my parents stay submerged in the Baltic Sea for who knows how long?"

Nobody replies. Merida knows that if they were to respond without a filter, they would definitely say yes to the idea of her being dead.

"They're my parents," Merida continues with a lighter tone. "They have been protecting me since I was conceived and in return, I consider myself to be saving them. I'm not talking about missions but their relationship. My parents were married after I was born. There's the chance that if I was never born, they might not be together till this day."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Merida tries to get information on what mission her parents were on.**


	32. Untold Secrets

**_Recap_ \- Merida successfully saved her parents but now she wants to know why they were there in the first place.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two: Untold Secrets

 _Barton Household - 10:09 AM_

Merida raps her knuckles on the wooden door. She stands back, putting her hands in her jacket pocket as she waits for an answer. It's been a day since her debriefing and she just needs to check up on her parents and ask them questions about what happened. Moments later, her mother opens the door and lets her in.

"Mom, I need to ask you something," Merida says.

Not expecting this, Natasha looks at Merida skeptically before nodding her head. It was one thing to have this conversation over the phone but Merida actually showed up in person to have this conversation.

"Before you and Dad ended up in the Baltic Sea, you were both in Mongolia," Merida states. "Why were you two there?"

"We were on a mission, you knew that, Мериде," Natasha replies.

"But you and Dad were kidnapped and I had a target on my back. That has never been done before. Ever!"

Natasha opens her mouth to say something but stops herself to examine's Merida's face. Her expression is dropped and her eyes are soft instead of sharp. She shows concern and vulnerability which makes Natasha smile a little from the corners of her mouth.

"For once in your life, you're worried about me and your father," Natasha says, keeping Merida silent. "Even when you were a little bouncing toddler, you never showed that you were worried about your father and I never coming back home. Why now? Nothing has changed except your age."

"Why were you in Mongolia?" Merida asks again, skipping over her mother's nostalgic distraction.

"I told you, I was on a mission."

"What kind of mission?"

Natasha puts her hand on her hips. "A retrieval."

"Who sent you?"

"Мериде - "

"Don't _Мериде_ me!" Merida winds up. "Mom, I know that you and Dad only cater to special missions from certain type of people now that you're both slowly aging toward death. Who could be _so important_ that they would send you to pick up something that would result in you both being kidnapped and me with a sniper on my back? What the hell did they want you to get that is apparently so valuable?"

Merida's eyes sharpen from their soft state they had earlier, emphasizing her seriousness towards the outstanding issue. Natasha takes a quick breath as she straightens her posture.

"That's classified," Natasha states.

Merida rolls her eyes. "I'm your daughter."

"I know but that doesn't change anything, just like that attitude of yours."

Merida looks to the ground in defeat. "I'm sorry, Mom, but why are you keeping this from me?"

The longer Merida looks in her mother's eyes, she sees the raw painful emotion that suddenly appears. Natasha suddenly blinks that away and clears her throat.

"To keep you safe," Natasha whispers.

Merida says nothing, not even commenting on how putting a sniper on her back doesn't actually make her safer. Her mother is mostly an open book but Natasha knows when to keep her mouth zipped shut, which concerns Merida more than when she does share. An example of that would be The Red Room which Natasha never shared. Merida found that out by herself as a teenager snooping through SHIELD's redacted/paper documents that have been stored away in the deep corners of SHIELD headquarters. Those scarred Merida when she read those but she understood why her mother kept those to herself.

That doesn't change.

"Could you at least tell me what you were supposed to get?" Merida begs softly, needing some sort of answer.

Natasha shrugs. "It was a folder but I wasn't aware of its contents. Your father and I were unable to retrieve it in time. Even if we managed to get it, we promised not to look in it."

Merida's eyes look down. She can't help but think about who assigned her parents on a mission in which they didn't even know what they were supposed to get. They were sent in blind which only makes Merida wonder who her parents trust so much that would give them permission to be sent somewhere unknown to get something unknown. Her thoughts on this get interrupted by a hug coming from her mother. Merida jumps a little but then accepts her mother's warm embrace.

"Don't worry, Мериде," Natasha whispers, "you're not in danger anymore."

The sad part is that Natasha hasn't been completely honest with her own daughter and she hates that she has to be that way.

-o-

Hours after Merida left, Natasha walks towards her bedroom. She opens her bedroom door and hears something ringing in her dresser. Recognizing that specific ringtone, Natasha immediately locks the door and runs over to the windows. She makes sure that they're sealed shut and locked and that the curtains are shut. Natasha opens the drawer and pushes aside all the contents to pull out a ringing burner phone. She doesn't hesitate to pick up the unknown call since it's the one who sent her and Clint on the mission.

 _Unknown: Did you retrieve it?_

"Sadly, no," Natasha responds, ashamed and disappointed in herself for not being to complete the mission. "Barton and I couldn't get it. The compartment it was supposed to be in had a bomb in it instead and judging by that and given the value of what you need, I'm positive that they relocated it once they had a hunch that someone was onto them."

 _Unknown: That makes this harder for me than it has already been._

"I'd hate to say this but do you think they may be on to you?"

 _Unknown: Possibly. Do you have any idea on where it may be now?_

"I don't."

 _Unknown:...That is unfortunate, especially the cost of not even having it with you. I thank you for everything you and Clint have done for me, Natasha, and I truly apologize for all the problems this has caused for you two and Merida. That is what I have been wanting to avoid for years._

Natasha nods in agreement. "Is there anything else Barton or I could do for you?"

 _Unknown: I greatly appreciate the offer but I shall take it from here. This has been my problem from the start and by putting you and your husband in it, I am only making it worse. Thank you again, Natasha._

The call ends.

Natasha closes the burner phone and purposely drops it on the floor. She continuously stomps on it until it's in several pieces. She divides the pile of debris into thirds - one gets flushed down the toilet, one goes in the garbage, and the last goes into a burning fireplace. Natasha wipes her hands on her jeans, turning her back away from it all.

* * *

 **You will find out who sent Clint and Natasha on their mission and you will find out what they were sent to get. That will happen when the story needs it to and you will probably never guess who it is. But feel free to guess if you want. Here's a hint - you already know character.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- A new family heirloom gets passed on.**


	33. Not Kids Anymore

**This is just a little filler that I just wanted to write.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three: Not Kids Anymore

 _Rogers Mansion - 7:32 AM_

Angela wakes up one morning after spending the night with her parents since they needed her help with the boxes in the attic, boxes, and garage. She loved sleeping in her childhood room, which her parents left untouched ever since she moved out just like with Xavier's room. It just brought back so many memories from all the years spent in that room, as if she never left.

She walks into the kitchen and sees her dad already there, reading the newspaper. From the looks of it, Angela believes that her dad spent the whole night awake.

"Dad," Angela starts, "when was the last time you had a proper sleep?"

Steve looks up from his paper. "I've slept for seventy years - "

"You've used that line before."

"Give me a break, I'm a senior citizen."

Steve looks up at Angela with a joking smile but it fades away when Angela's lips remain serious. She doesn't like to think of her dad as old. Despite his young physique for a man who came from the 20th century, Steve was in his 90s when she and Xavier were born.

"You're a grown woman," Steve tells her, "and I couldn't be more proud of you. There were days when you wore your hair in pigtails and now you wear a uniform; instead of dolls, you have guns; instead of being scared of you falling off your bike, I now fear for you falling off a building." He sighs. "Forgive me for worrying but the first time I saw you in action was on the news and you were pregnant in disguise."

Angela was following her father's spiel but lost him when that last part came in.

"So?" Angela questions.

"It didn't hit me that you were running on a mission, it hit me that I could have grandkids running around."

Angela looks up at her dad and finds herself smiling at that thought. She loves kids and spent many years babysitting them so why not just have some of her own?

-o-

 _Angela's Apartment - 2:47 AM_

Angela lies awake in her bed. Her bedroom lights are off since her boyfriend is sleeping beside her, nestled in the bedsheets. Her father's words ring in her mind as she glances at him. She and James have been together since high school and are still going strong to this very day. They don't live together but would occasionally spend the nights at each other's places. That was really it in terms of their relationship.

"Why are you still awake?" James mutters to her through the pillow. A muffled laugh suddenly escapes his mouth. "We could have a pillow fight if you're up for that."

Angela's mouth curves into a grin as she watches James' arm travel under the sheets to wrap around Angela's mid-drift and pulls her closer to him. He begins to kiss her shoulder and Angela turns onto her side to face him.

"Where is our relationship going?" Angela asks him.

"I was hoping a pillow fight..."

Angela bites down on her bottom lip, resisting his charm. "I'm serious."

"As long as we're happy," James starts, "which we are, then I don't really care for the technicalities. Status' are a little much, don't you think?"

"I disagree."

"You're just being old-fashioned."

Angela narrows her eyes at him. He smirks, kissing her forehead.

"You're accustomed to how things were back then but now we're in a new age," James tells her. "Couples make love and have children before marriage. If you wanted to save it all for marriage in the beginning, I would've popped the question. In fact, studies have shown that the rate of marriage is on a decline. Why are we even talking about this?"

Angela shrugs. "My dad wants grandkids."

James' mouth hangs open. "My mom said the same thing unlike my dad who doesn't really want miniature versions of me running around. She just doesn't want to look old in photos."

Angela laughs a little. "Well, tell Jan that she's going to have to wait a while. Unless - "

She whacks him with her pillow.

-o-

 _Xavier's Apartment - 9:09 AM_

Xavier wakes up one morning and walks through his apartment. Mid-yawn, Xavier looks around his living room and notices something odd sitting on his couch. It's a circular package. When he picks it up, he notices how thin and light it is. Tapping his fingers on it, he feels how sturdy it is. Xavier tears through the unaddressed parchment paper. His eyes widen and his jaw drops as he sees the red, silver, and blue object underneath.

It's his dad's shield.

Never in all his life did he think that the shield was some sort of family heirloom. It was his father's shield. It was _Captain America's_ shield. Xavier doesn't see himself as the star-spangled hero, he is only his son. He didn't think he would ever receive it as his own.

He immediately goes to call Angela, holding his phone against his ear with his shoulder as his hands still look at the shield.

 _Angela: Hello?_

"Dad gave me his shield," Xavier says. His heart flutters as he says those words.

 _Angela: He did? Oh my god, that's amazing!_

Then it dawns on Xavier that Angela is his older twin and who he thought was their dad's favorite child (or what everyone thought) - yet he got the shield.

"Crap..." Xavier mutters. "Did you want it?"

 _Angela: No, no...Dad knows that I can protect myself without it._

Xavier narrows his eyes as Angela snickers on the other end. He should've seen that coming. What makes it all worse is that he can hear James laughing in the background as well.

 _James: Roasted!_

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- The team will be about two hours late to save their friend. Can you guess who?**


	34. Technical Difficulties

**! Please stick around to read my final authors note.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: Technical Difficulties

 _Munich, Germany - 9:32 AM_

In a university lecture hall, Daniel stands in front of an enormous crowd of students not that much younger than him. All of them are looking at him and listening to what he says attentively. From what they have heard, most if not everything Daniel Banner says is the equivalent of liquid gold.

"Open your eyes, everyone," Daniel says to his audience. "The future is right before us because we are the future. And if I may share my opinion, the future looks like hell on Earth."

The students are taken aback by those words, not expecting that type of statement. Daniel grins to himself as they all murmur their surprise to one another.

"That is only if we continue to be blinded by the growing technology that will one day be in our worship," Daniel continues. "Humanity needs a method to control this addiction by using solutions to solve the problem and not cause more. If we can put down our devices long enough to see what's really happening in the world with our own eyes, we'd have the advantage in the upcoming battle."

-o-

 _Quinjet - 18:41 PM_

James sits on the couch with his eyes currently glued to a tablet's screen, his ears have headphones in them. Merida walks into the open kitchen and looks at James as she opens a bottle of water. She takes the plastic cap from the bottle and places it on the countertop. Merida squints one eye and focuses it on James. She flicks the cap with her finger, expecting it to hit him but James blasts it without looking.

"You better be doing your work since you also have to do Daniel's," Merida says, making her way over to him.

James pulls out his headphones. "I'll have you know that I finished mine and am currently working on Daniel's."

Merida narrows her eyes in disbelief. She reaches over for the tablet and reads what James is working on that's supposedly Daniel's work. Merida sees an article and assumes that it's a scientific journal of some kind, but as she scrolls through, he sees a picture of Emily Stark on the front page and that this article is from a gossip site. Merida stares at James.

"What?" James questions innocently. "Keeping tabs on Emily is Daniel's number one priority. I'll have you know that she's back in New York after doing business things in Prague."

The tablet vibrates as an emergency alert pops up. Merida calls the rest of the team who's on board as James transfers the alert to a hologram so they could all view it at once without cowering over a tablet. He opens the hologram just as Angela and Xavier come rushing in.

"It's a video from two hours ago," James says as he plays it.

 _The video starts in a dark and empty laboratory that has a spotlighted vault in the center. A scientist places a time bomb on the lock and runs off. Once the timer hits zero, the bomb blows and the doors of the vault open. When the smoke clears, a creature slithers out. It's larger than any person being a computerized machine in the form of a parasitic worm. Its multiple legs stretch out up to several meters and have an unspeakable super strength. When its mouth opens, its red eyes glow brightly as tentacles shoot out._

 _"Meet Technovore," an ominous voice says, "our first nano tech AI created to store and steal data. In order to test how successful our creation is, we decided to deploy it on the current paradise for all things technology..."_

 _The video cuts to a current view of Stark Towers._

 _"All in two hours time..."_

 _End of video._

The team is silent after viewing that.

"That video was released two hours ago and they said they would _attack_ in two hours time," Angela says. "Stark Towers is under attack as we speak."

"But how are we sure that this video is not just some distraction?" Xavier asks.

It is possible that this video is just some type of propaganda to get the team to one area while the makers of this video are actually planning an attack somewhere. Making it look like Stark Towers is under attack would send the team over without a doubt since they do have an emotional connection with that place for multiple reasons.

Merida attempts to contact Stark Towers but there is no response. There isn't even any type of indication that nobody is there to answer. It is just blank.

"Do we get Daniel?" James asks.

"There's no time," Xavier says, getting into action. "He's in Munich and we have to be in New York ASAP. Daniel would want us to do the same. What's our ETA?"

"At top speed, 45 minutes," Merida replies before running off to the pilot's controls.

Angela rewatches the video as the quinjet takes a sharp turn. Everyone trips a little on their feet as the quinjet speeds up. Angela notices a certain aspect of the video that needs more analyzing.

"This creature, this _Technovore_ , looks as if it's been a completed project for a long time," Angela says, looking at a paused image of Technovore in the video. "Besides that, why add a two-hour delay on an attack that could've happened a while ago?"

James suddenly glances at his tablet and picks it up. He goes back to what he was looking at before the alert popped up. It's the article about Emily Stark he was reading. He skims through it looking for something in particular, the publication date. James puts the pieces together and it all makes sense.

"Emily landed in New York about three hours ago," James says. "Knowing Emily, she would've gotten home about two hours maybe two and a half hours ago?"

"That, unfortunately, makes sense," Angela adds. "If Tony's technology is the primary target, these people could use Emily as some sort of ransom or hostage to get him to concede everything - especially if Pepper is there as well which she probably is."

Xavier sighs, looking out the window as the clouds zip past them. "For once in her life, Emily better know what the hell she's doing."

Angela folds her hands together as she brings their to her mouth, quickly muttering a prayer for Emily's sake. James just stands there smugly, trying to hold back an insensitive laugh that inevitably escapes his mouth. The Rogers twins give him the most judgmental look.

"I'm sorry," James says, "but Emily is so going to die."

* * *

 **James is me as a friend.**

 **! IF YOU ALL WANT, I can publish Emily's first chapter later in the day. I mean, I'm probably going to anyways but just let me know and I'll do it.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- See Stark Towers as the attack started...**


	35. Technovore: Part One

**_Copyright_ \- Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Marvel Animations)**

 ** _Recap_ \- The team learned that Stark Towers is under attack.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five: Technovore Part One

 _Stark Towers - Two Hours Before Attack - 16:12 PM_

As she hangs up from a boring and seemingly never-ending phone call, the elevator doors open and welcome Emily Stark back into her main home, Stark Towers. She steps in, hearing the elevator doors close behind her as the heels of her stilettos sink into the carpet. Emily inhales deeply, taking in the homely scent that she has missed terribly while partaking university and internships abroad. After admiring the decor that hasn't changed drastically in the years away from home, she turns around and sees all her luggage and boxes piled beside the wall. Emily sighs, knowing that she'll have to eventually unpack seven years of belongings.

"It'll take seven years to unpack all those..." Emily mutters. She's unwilling to do that chore by herself so she could just have a few robots assist her (or just do it all for her).

"How the the hell did your bags make it back before you?" Tony asks as he approaches her.

Ecstatic to see his daughter, Tony opens his arms for a hug and like a child, Emily leaps into them with a grin on her face. She kisses her dad's cheek as he lets her go. Now, the two of them are looking at her many boxes.

"My suitcases don't get distracted by shopping or need a caffeine boost," Emily responds about her unimportant tardiness, still smiling.

Tony playfully rolls his eyes. "Your bags got here thirty minutes before you."

Emily frowns. "You're not one to talk about punctuality." Her grimace quickly dissolves. "Where's Mom?"

"Packing for Sofia. Her flight is in three hours."

Emily nods. "I don't want to disturb her even though I want to say hello. Tell her I'll be downstairs. I didn't sleep a wink on the plane ride back from Prague since my mind was working on something else."

-o-

 _One Hour Before Attack_

Upstairs, as Pepper continues to pack for Sofia, Tony lies flat on their bed. Every time he makes some sort of whining noise coming from his mouth, she would just throw another pair of shoes in her bag. This goes on for another ten minutes and has been going on whenever Pepper would leave for business purposes. It was basically their routine since he never wanted her to leave.

"Don't leave me, Pepper," Tony begs (another important part of the ritual).

"Do you think I want to?" Pepper responds. "Not only do I love you and our daughter dearly but I fear for the company whenever it's only you here. You know I have little to no faith in the two of you as a duo."

Tony laughs a little. "Emily's here to help or just be standing there as support."

"Not helping and I don't think she'll be assisting you at all."

"She'll be inheriting the company one day so she might as well help - or do it all for me."

Pepper glares at Tony even though she knows that he's only joking.

"Not today." She zips her suitcase. "I'll go visit Emily in the basement when I'm done here and on my way. Then, she could sleep because I just know she got none and you could drive me to the airport. Deal?"

"Deal."

-o-

 _Thirty Minutes Before Attack_

Downstairs, Emily stands in front of a lab table with various tools and parts scattered everywhere. She has changed into comfortable clothing consisting of a solid black tank top and jean shorts, barefoot, no makeup on her face, and her hair pulled back into a makeshift bun. She's covered in mechanical grease and sweat which only adds to how beautiful she already is, trading her makeup for motor oil.

She huffs, blowing some loose strands of hair out of her face. In front of her is only the skeleton of her own version of her dad's Iron Man suit, modified to her own liking, of course. She got bored one day during university and wondered what it would be like to build her own Iron Man suit so she did (or started to. It's still a work in progress. She currently has the skeleton and some parts of it completed).

Not to mention that she handed in a blueprint as extra credit for one of her courses. It was accepted and given the best grade possible.

Emily's hands ache from forcing the screwdriver into an ankle joint to loosen a stubborn screw. Giving up, she tosses the screwdriver onto the table. A spark singes her fingertips and she jerks away, kissing her minor burns. There are no marks left on her skin so she doesn't worry about it all that much.

"Jarvis," Emily calls, "my mom hasn't left for Sofia yet, right?"

She waits for a response that never comes. However, she's too busy to notice the silence.

-o-

 _Five Minutes Before Attack_

Pepper stands in the elevator, waiting patiently as it goes down to the basement. All her bags are at her feet as she taps her heel against the floor in rhythm with the ding the elevator makes every time it passes another level. She suddenly loses balance when the elevator stops on its own and the lights turn off. Pepper lands on one of her suitcases just as the bright emergency lights turn on.

-o-

 _Attack_

Tony sits up on his bed, not knowing when it got dark. He gets up and sits exits his bedroom into a dark hallway. He's unsure of how the place got so dark so fast but only assumes that Pepper turned off all the lights on her way out.

He navigates through the darkness using the arc reactor on his chest and what little natural light was coming in through the windows. The more steps he takes, the louder some odd background noise gets. He stops, slowly turning around to see what's there. He sees two red lights that look at him like eyes.

Before he's able to call Jarvis or a suit, the red lights pounce on him.

* * *

 **Emily is finally here!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- The attack has only just begun...**


	36. Technovore: Part Two

**How do you think Emily will be in battle?**

 ** _Recap_ \- AIM has made their attack and now it's time for the Stark Family to fight back if they can.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six: Technovore Part Two

 _Stark Towers - 18:27 PM_

Emily's not only suffering from an unbearable fatigue but also jet-lag from Prague's six hour time difference with New York. Not to mention that she's barely gotten any sleep while in Prague because she's been busy with her business affairs and the ideas that her intellectual mind keeps on making. As of right now, her body is the equivalent of a car with an empty gas tank that's scratching the surface to use whatever little bit of energy is left. Her brain, however, is incredibly active, always coming up with the best ideas when sleep-deprived.

Basically, her body knows that it should rest and _wants_ to, but her mind won't allow it.

Needing more coffee, Emily yawns as she turns from her workstation to find the nearest espresso machine. She opens the door and sees several masked agents wearing the same yellow jumpsuits. They're all standing in a triangular formation with their guns pointed right at her. It almost seems as if they have been waiting for her to walk out for a long time.

A part of her wonders if she's going deaf or just didn't hear them assembling right outside her door. The same goes for that unanswered questions she asked Jarvis a while ago which she just remembered she asked.

Emily hesitates, unsure about what the hell is happening. She does understand one thing: these people want her dead.

"Okay, look," Emily starts, holding up her hands to show that she has no weapons on her. "I plan to have an open casket which means that when you fire your weapons at me, you better make my corpse pretty. I need to be as intact as possible which means that I better have two eyes, one nose, all my limbs, and a full set of teeth. Those must all be there or I swear that I will haunt you, you understand?"

Nobody responds or moves for that matter. Emily stands there awkwardly.

"While you guys discuss a new strategy on how to kill me without deforming me..." She mutters, walking backwards. "...I'll just wait in my lab. Could one of you grab me an espresso?"

"Fire!"

"Or just forget the espresso!"

As guns start to fire, Emily quickly turns around and sprints towards her workstation. She leaps over a table, purposely bringing it down with her so that it lands on its side and she could use it as a shield.

-o-

The elevator doors open and Pepper sees the same type of agents who are currently with Emily. Pepper stands up straight, heart racing, as she backs up as far as she can before hitting the elevator wall (which makes her jump a little). The agents corner her as one of them (one with a badge of authority on his chest) grasps her arm tightly.

"Hello, Mrs. Stark," the leader greets, tapping his fingertips on her bicep. "Do you know who I am?"

Pepper takes a slow breath. "Should I?"

"You really should. I am the Scientist Supreme of the Advanced Idea Mechanics, AIM for short. I am now in control of you."

Pepper scoffs. "Possessive, much?"

Ignoring that last comment, he continues talking, dragging Pepper with him. She would escape but she's surrounded by the Scientist Supreme's henchmen and their guns.

"To keep you informed, Mrs. Stark, I have released my pet and creation, Technovore, in your tower. Its only purpose is to consume. Its goal right now is to feed on any and all arc reactor activity, like the energy powering your husband's heart. It has the power to crush an army."

"Good thing Tony doesn't have an army," Pepper responds.

"If Technovore feeds on your husband, Tony must agree to give up all his technology for his life to be returned. Even if Tony does concede before feeding time, he will still be eaten."

Pepper looks up at him. "Technically speaking, Tony can't give you his tech if he's dead."

"That's also why you're here and why my men are searching for Emily as we speak. Just a little somethings to speed up the trade. In fact, I think they have her."

-o-

Behind her table, Emily feels all the bullets bounce off. She's not scared because she's actually beyond terrified. She's alone, inexperienced in this kind of situation, worried about her parents, unarmed, and about to throw up the bile that's rising in her throat. Her body is shaking like an earthquake. She looks at her hands and sees her engagement ring that still sparkles in the danger. That motivates her to calm down and realize that something else is shining in her eyes: the completed parts she has for her suit.

Emily quickly crouches forwards and scrambles for whatever parts she has and rushes to put them on, along for a pair of tennis shoes that were under the other table. Overall, she has her non-dominant hand with a repulsor beam, the armor of it going up to her elbow just before the joint; her opposite leg going up to her knee, also just before the joint; and the metal brace that goes across her chest, torso, and back with an arc reactor in the middle of her chest.

"Come out, Miss. Stark," they taunt her, "we don't want to hurt you."

Emily rolls her eyes. If they didn't really want to harm her, they wouldn't have started firing at her simple request of an espresso.

"Open casket or closed?" Emily asks them.

They surprisingly stop firing at her odd question. Emily smiles to herself.

"Cremated," they respond in unison, making one of Emily's eyebrows rise up.

"Good," she replies, "then you won't mind me blowing your face off."

Emily quickly stands up and fires the one repulsor beam she has at them. Taken by surprise, they immediately fall back. Emily starts flying with the one boot she has, making a staggered flight pattern. She falls forwards as one agent grabs her dominant hand. He uses his advantage in strength against her. Emily panics a little, looking down. She uses her armored foot to kick him over.

Emily hears another agent running up to her from behind. She turns around, swinging her armored leg as her attack but the stubborn screw from earlier pops out, causing the whole thing to dismantle.

"...well, that's embarrassing," Emily says.

To keep her fight going, Emily holds up her hand to fire but then realized that she's pointing her weaponless hand. Again, embarrassing. In her defense, the only motivator she has to keep fighting is her will to survive.

-o-

From a hole in the wall, Technovore slithers out and lunges itself at Tony. He falls onto his back with the creature on top of him. With his arms, Tony grunts as he uses all of his strength to keep Technovore off of him. Tony takes a moment to examine the computerized creature as it opens its mouth. He sees the tentacles inside and notices them salivating, specifically over his arc reactor.

Tony pushes his arms to the side, tossing Technovore. He quickly stands up and sprints down the corridor. He takes a brief glance over his shoulder and sees Technovore already on his tail. The moment Tony's eyes land on Emily's suitcases, he's automatically grateful that Emily is a procrastinator when it comes to certain tasks. He picks one up by the handles and swings it as Technovore like a baseball bat. Technovore flies into a different room that Tony quickly closes the door to to give himself more time (probably a few seconds) to formulate some sort of plan. Tony opens one of Emily's suitcases and searches for something useful, finding nothing. He pulls out one of Emily's cardigans and grips it tightly.

As Technovore pounds against the door Tony confined it to, Tony runs over to the elevator and pries the door open just big enough to squeeze through. He wraps Emily's cardigan around the cables to use as a rappelling rope of some sorts. Once it's secure, he hears Technovore burst out of its containment. Tony jumps, sliding down the elevator shaft with no creature above him until he lands on top of the elevator car.

* * *

 **Not gonna lie, Emily is me in fights.**

 _ **Stay**_ _**Tuned**_ **\- With** **the Stark family in different parts of the Tower, will they ever reunite?**


	37. Technovore: Part Three

**_Recap_ \- Stark Towers is under attack: Scientist Supreme has Pepper, Tony's being chased by Technovore, and Emily's out-numbered by AIM soldiers.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Technovore Part Three

 _Stark Towers - 19:04 PM_

In the middle of Stark Towers' database mainframe, Pepper stands as she watches several AIM agents plug in their external devices and download all the information they can get a hold on (which they hope is everything). She would fight and get out of here but she is outnumbered and still has lingering thoughts about Technovore in the tower.

"Did you seriously break in just to _hack_ Tony?" Pepper asks them, clearly not impressed. "You really couldn't do that from your own lair?"

"AIM is taking everything, Mrs. Stark," The Scientist Supreme responds. "I am in control now which means that nobody will come rescue you. We are the greatest collection of intellects and no match for Tony."

Pepper shifts all her weight on one hip and puts a finger to her chin in a mock thinking face. "I'm confused. How could you be the greatest if you're stealing from someone else? Wouldn't _they_ technically be the greater one since you find their work worth taking?"

The Scientist Supreme towers over her. "You should be more respectful to the one who will destroy your family and company."

-o-

Emily isn't sure how she won that fight against those AIM agents but all that matters is that she did. She believes that her strategy of not knowing how to fight really threw the AIM agents off since they (and herself as well) had no idea what to expect.

Panting heavily, Emily begins walking away from the mess she left behind. Just like her unpacked boxes, some AI robots could deal with that. She's beyond exhausted, dehydrated, and worn-out. Using the stairs, Emily forces herself to climb up no matter how sore her limbs are. She knows that she has to put a stop to whatever is going on but her body isn't agreeing.

She wants to stop. She wants some water to cool down and hydrate her burning throat. She wants a bed to sleep in. But first and foremost, she wants her parents so she continues climbing.

-o-

Tony stands firmly on the top of the elevator car and ditches Emily's cardigan. Tony kneels down and pries open a panel. He slips in, expecting to find Pepper stuck inside but only sees her bags for Sofia. When he notices the opens door, he assumes that she got out. Tony walks out of the elevator and turns a corner, only to see some agents in those yellow jumpsuits who already see him.

Tony nods, recognizing where they're from. "Well, this makes perfect sense. Hi, AIM agents. You know, you could've booked an appointment with Pepper or simply knocked."

"Boss, we have a visual on an unarmed Tony Stark," one of the agents say into his earpiece.

 _The Scientist Supreme: Then shoot him -_

 _Pepper: - Tony! Tony! They're going to blow the main reactor! To - !_

On the spot, Tony freezes at the sound of Pepper's voice. He suddenly realizes that a Pepper didn't _get_ out of the elevator, she was _taken_ out by AIM.

"Pepper?!" He chokes out before becoming angry at what's now at stake. "Where is she?! Where is Emily?! I swear that if any of you have hurt them I will - !"

A mechanical roar is heard in the distance, not only cutting off Tony's threat but AIM's weapons. Technovore crashes through a wall and uses two of its tentacles to grip Tony's wrists and pin him to the floor. Tony struggles and attempts to resist but it's no use. Technovore's tentacles find their way into Tony's arc reactor and start to consume all his power. Tony screams in agony and pain as sparks shoot all around him.

-o-

Once Emily is on the floor above the basement, she notes how silent it is all around her. Still extremely exhausted, Emily slides down against a wall until she hits the floor. She breathes slowly, using her free hand to wipe the sweat on her face. As she touches her damp tank top, she seriously prays that it's drenched in sweat and not blood, even with the glowing arc reactor on her chest, it's still too dark for her to tell. However, when she touches it with her tongue and tastes salt, she classifies it as sweat. Relieved, Emily only wishes that she exercised more...or ever. Maybe then she wouldn't be as dead as she is now.

"Please, still be alive..." Emily mutters as some sort of prayer for her parents.

A noise in the next hallway over causes Emily to perk up in caution. She slowly stands up again in order to listen.

 _The Scientist Supreme: What's Stark's status?_

"Which one?" The agent asks.

 _The Scientist Supreme: Just tell me all of them!_

"Mrs. Stark is with you in the tower's mainframe, Mr. Stark is in the midst of being consumed by Technovore, and there is no visual on Emily."

 _The Scientist Supreme: What do you mean there is no visual?! Find that girl and get to the main reactor!_

Emily whispers the last two words to herself. If the main reactor aka the tower's power source were to blow or be tampered with, the entire building would go down with. Then the word Technovore enters her mouth. She gasps and chokes back the idea of her father being consumed by whoever or whatever Technovore is.

That prompts Emily to run in the opposite direction.

-o-

Tony continues to scream the longer Technovore is on him. He feels his own vitals dropping as the creature thrives out of his arc reactor's energy.

Suddenly, he feels Technovore being ripped off of him. Relieved, Tony inhales but looks down to see some frayed tentacles in his chest, wiggling around. Someone he can barely see through his blurring vision kneels beside him and yanks the tentacles out. Tony screams in pain before blacking out.

"Tony, no!"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will AIM successfully take over Stark Industries? Will Technovore find Emily?**


	38. Technovore: Part Four

**_Recap_ \- Emily is heading down to the main reactor just as Tony has just been consumed by Technovore**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Technovore Part Four

 _Munich, Germany - 2:44 AM_

After his speech at the university, Daniel lies in his hotel room, waiting for the late night room service he ordered to show up. He rolls onto his side and reaches for the television remote. When he turns on the television, the first channel that appears is a news network doing a story on Emily returning to New York from Prague. He smiles at the sight of his fiancée, walking in the airport. Seeing her stride in her stilettos while holding a cup of coffee in one hand and waving to the camera with the other gives him so much joy.

Then he hears his phone going off with no stop. Daniel stretches over to his bedside table and looks at the stream of endless messages from his team.

 _Merida: Daniel! Stark Towers is under attack! We've sent you the AIM video with the threat._

 _Xavier: All communications are cut off._

 _Angela: We just arrived but we have no visual on Emily._

 _James: We'll get back to you._

And in that instance, Daniel's heart drops. Emily is definitely at home and if they have no visual, that could mean that Emily is - just somewhere else in the tower. He refuses to think the worse and all he could do from Munich is just pray that Emily knows what she's doing.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 19:28 PM_

Angela, currently kneeling beside Tony, throws the tentacles to the side and begins to wonder what to do with Tony. Giving chest compressions isn't the best idea since his now-malfunctioned arc reactor is in the way of where her hands are supposed to go.

Xavier and Merida stand in front of them as a blockade against Technovore should it strike again. The creature slithers on the spot, keeping its eyes on Tony. Suddenly, it jolts and breaks through the wall to head somewhere else in the tower.

"What the hell?" Merida questions.

"Technovore feeds on arc reactor energy," Xavier says. "Tony's has no more power in it so my best guess is that it's going to find the next best one."

"The one in the basement?" Angela says.

Merida and Xavier turn around to see Tony unconscious on the floor and Angela trying to figure out what to do. James flies in and grows back to his normal size, kneeling beside Angela in front of Tony.

"This may not work..." James says. "But it's worth a shot."

James lights up his hands and uses his bio-electricity to send an electric shock to Tony's heart. Tony shoots up and grips his chest, coughing and panting. His arc reactor is still dead but James' version of a defibrillator/charger should work for now.

"We would've been here sooner but we found out about the attack the moment it happened," Angela says. "And your tower is swarming with AIM agents, so we had to think of a way to do a stealthy approach."

Tony continues to focus on his breathing. He knows that Pepper is with the Scientist Supreme but he just has one important question.

"Where is Emily?" Tony asks.

"We haven't seen her," Merida says. "You're sure she's here?"

Tony nods before falling back due to how unsteady his vitals are. Xavier looks at his team and they disperse - Xavier and Merida go to find Emily who could literally be anywhere in the Tower, James shrinks down and flies to find Pepper, and Angela remains by Tony's side.

"Go," Tony says to Angela once the others are gone, "I'll hold back Technovore."

"You can barely stand and Technovore isn't even here anymore," Angela replies.

Tony looks around and thinks. Technovore has the main objective to consume arc reactor energy. If the one in his chest is a dud, then it will certainly find the next best one. Then he remembers what he heard Pepper say earlier about the main reactor.

"Oh, shit..." Tony mutters. "We have to get to the main reactor now!"

"Can you make it?" Angela asks.

"Hopefully."

-o-

"Download complete."

A henchman to the Scientist Supreme removes his external device from the tower's mainframe and hands it to his boss who stands beside Pepper. She looks at him expectantly.

"Now what?" Pepper asks.

"Now, you come with us," the Scientist Supreme responds.

"Where?"

Pepper feels her arms get grabbed as her feet start dragging along. Any attempts to resist would serve no purpose.

"I said I would say goodbye to Emily before I leave," Pepper says.

"Let's see if my men have found her yet."

His evil cackle gives Pepper shivers.

-o-

Emily continues running down the stairs, heading towards the tower's main reactor which is located below the basement. She hears a loud thudding noise above her, causing her to stop. Emily looks up, holding her repulsor beam above her head in case she needs to shoot, but what bursts out causes her hand to clam up.

"What the - ?!"

Emily is cut off by what she could only assume to be Technovore falling from the ceiling. It's tentacles stretch out for her arc reactor but Emily believes it wants her whole.

She should run, but her legs freeze up and everything slows down for her. Her heart is beating so loud that she could hear it in her eardrums, all because of the intensity of this situation. She should be running as if her life depends on it because it does. Her mind is currently in a panic with no sense of direction in her own home or what her purpose in all of this is. The only thing she could tell herself is to start running but she couldn't. Her legs are frozen and about to give out due to the exhaustion from the past few days finally catching up to her.

In the midst of Emily collapsing, Technovore pounces on top of her which sends the both of them crashing through the floor. The two of them fly down a staircase and crash through the floor, entering the room with the main reactor.

Emily's mind wakes up and she screams at the sight of Technovore on top of her. Nearby agents who are tampering with the main reactor stop and stare.

"What do we do about that?" One of them asks.

"Screw it, this place is about to blow," another responds as they all run out.

Emily grunts, holding the tentacles that lure in front of her. "Go back to hell, you digital demon!"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Emily be able to take on Technovore?**


	39. Technovore: Part Five

**_Recap_ \- Project: New Generation showed up to Stark Towers just as Technovore attacked Emily**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Technovore Part Five

 _Stark Towers - 19:57 PM_

As the AIM agents run out, they're stopped by Xavier and Merida.

Xavier punches one of the agents and throws him against the wall with one arm. Merida swings her bow, whacking another before shooting and one who tries to attack her from behind. From the ground, Xavier looks up and sees a gun pointed right at him. Xavier pulls out his shield from his back and whips it like a frisbee. While the agent is distracted, Xavier runs over and bodyslams him into the wall. Merida holds up her bow as another agent points a gun at her. Merida slightly tilts her head as the AIM agent falls over without her releasing an arrow. On the other side, Merida sees Angela with her own gun out.

"Where's Tony?" Xavier asks her.

"He blacked out again but his heart was still pumping, so I had to drag his body to his suits," Angela responds. "They come with arc reactors so it'll replace the one that's dead. Luckily he woke up before I had to put him in a suit myself."

Then the three of them look at Technavore who's attempting to devour Emily's arc reactor at the other end of the room. She continues screaming until Technovore gets blasted over. Emily rolls onto her stomach and looks up to see her father wearing one of his Iron Man suits. Technovore is now conflicted, given more option for which arc reactor to consume now - the main one, the one with her or the one her father has.

"Dad," Emily pants out, "the building will explode."

"There's no time to disarm all the bombs," Tony replies as he scans them all.

"What about that?" Emily points at Technovore.

"It's a storage unit. Its goal is to consume arc reactor energy."

Emily looks down at the arc reactor on her own chest and lights up with an idea.

Technovore pounces at Tony, sending the armored man to the ground. It uses its tentacles to wrap around Tony's legs as he attempts to fly away. He uses his repulsor beams but Technovore snags his arms as well.

Emily stands up and begins activating the main reactor manually. Suddenly, the whole room lights up with energy.

"I thought that was a bad thing!" Angela yells at her.

"Trust me!" Emily yells back, then noticing that three of her friends are here. "Oh, hey guys! How's SHIELD?"

At the sight of all the power being released, Technovore drops Tony and Tony uses his arc reactor to blast Technovore in the middle of it. Technovore uses all of its tentacles to consume what it can. Just as Emily planned, Technovore has a capacity just like every storage device ever. As the quantity of arc reactor energy in Technovore increases, Xavier holds up his shield to protect himself, Merida, Angela, and Emily just as Tony activates the forcefield on his shield. And, just like Tony planned, Technovore consumed enough energy to prevent an explosion in the tower and disintegrate itself due to the overload.

Tony lowers his forcefield as Xavier lowers his shield. Just because Technovore is gone, doesn't mean that AIM is.

-o-

Pepper is dragged outside, towards the AIM van. Before she gets forced into the vehicle, she hears all the agents behind her get shot down. She turns around and sees James taking care of them. However, when James points his blaster at the Scientist Supreme, he points a gun at Pepper's temple.

"It's over," James tells her, "I think your creepy insect pet is dead."

"Over?" The Scientist Supreme repeats with a hint of sarcasm. "I have Stark's information and his precious wife."

"I swear - "

"One more word from you is a bullet in her brain."

He jabs the gun into Pepper's temple. James slowly lowers his hands.

"You'll want to aim for the head," James says. "That usually makes for a fatal blow. Or if you're feeling a bit nervous, then go for the torso. It's a bigger target."

"What?" The Scientist Supreme questions.

"I wasn't talking to you."

In that moment, Pepper jabs her heel into the Scientist Supreme's foot before elbowing his head back. His head slams into the van and he slumps down to the ground unconscious. Pepper brushes her clothes as she bends down to snag all the external devices that contain her information. She walks over to James, making sure to purposely step on the Scientist Supreme with her heels as she crosses him.

-o-

Still processing what just happened, Emily spins around and finds herself in her father's arms with Angela, Merida, and Xavier standing behind them.

"What the hell just happened?" Emily asks.

"I'm so happy you're alive," Tony says tearfully, kissing Emily's sweaty head repeatedly after he rips off his Iron Man helmet.

"Us too," Angela says. "James didn't think you would make it. Speaking of - "

Merida glances at her phone. "James just said that he has Pepper so it's all good now."

Emily turns around to face them and feels her head spinning, assuming that it's the joy of seeing her friends after all this time mixed with her lack of energy from the battle and the outstanding fatigue. She's smiling brightly as she goes to hug them.

"Honestly, Stark," Xavier says, "I didn't think you'd make it either."

"Same," Merida adds.

"I had some hope in you," Angela says. She glances at her phone. "Daniel's overseas, frantic but now he'll have nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about..." Emily repeats with a wistful voice as she thinks about her fiancé. Then her smile fades due to her body feeling like it's shutting down. "Guys, don't worry about what will happen next. I'm not dying. Xavier, please catch me."

Nobody really understands what Emily just said but then panics when Emily passes out in Xavier's arms.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Now that Technovore is dealt with, what happened to Emily?**


	40. With this Ring

**_Recap_** **– after defeating Technovore, everyone thought that it was all going to be okay...until Emily passed out**

* * *

Chapter Forty: With this Ring

 _SHILED Recovery Room - 9:29 AM_

All is silent in a white hospital room. The subtle noises breaking the peace are the few beeps of the heart rate monitors, the soft breeze coming in from an open window, the tapping of a pen against a clipboard, and the soft breathing of Emily Stark. The first thought that pops in her mind is to about the one pillow she has being too flat - thought she's too tired to do anything about that. Moving on from her pillow, she nestles in the white bed sheets before opening her eyes. She looks around her, not knowing exactly where she is. She wets her parched and chapped lips with her tongue and cranes her neck to look around only too see medical equipment, surgical toys, IVs, needles - Emily realizes that she's attached to one of the machines and immediately tenses up, causing the machine to beep erratically.

Her eyes turn to a young man with his back facing her. He turns around, hearing her distress, and drops the clipboard in his hands to rush to her. He puts his hands on her shoulders, muttering softly at her to calm down.

Emily freezes but then forces her muscles to relax. The machine dims down once she does. Her fear turns into a weak smile at the sudden joy she's receiving from the man holding her. She tries to sit up but feels the pain stab her so she stops moving. Emily looks up and has never been happier to see Daniel Banner in her life.

"You were so exhausted and dehydrated that your body just shut down," Daniel tells her softly.

"I haven't slept since Prague, I was jet-lagged, and then Technovore came out of nowhere," Emily responds, raising a stressed hand to her forehead. "I've been living off of espresso shots and now I feel like I've been run over by a bus and then run over by a stampede of elephants. On another note, the sheets are cold without you in them with me."

Daniel grins. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too but I didn't want you to see me like this," Emily jokes, pulling the bed sheets up to her nose to cover all but her eyes. "I bet I look dead."

Daniel snickers, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. He takes a breath before looking at her again. Emily lowers the bed sheets, sensing something wrong with him no matter how much she doesn't want to. She reaches for his hand and grasps it tightly. He immediately places both his hands on her, bringing them up to his chest.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asks.

Emily is surprised that he's asking her that question. Then, she realizes this all makes sense. He looks distressed because he can sense that she is.

"Yeah…" Emily replies. Daniel keeps his eyes on her and she sighs. "Not really. The people we all became is unsettling and I've only seen a glimpse of it."

"How so?"

Emily hasn't started her answer yet she already has tears in her eyes.

"No, no," Daniel says softly, cupping her face in his hands. "Don't cry, Emily, you're too beautiful to ruin your makeup - even though you're not wearing any for once."

Emily can't help but grin at that, though it's only a bittersweet grimace.

"Everyone in this kind of life grows up fast," Emily starts. "A couple of years ago, we had so much free time and our only problem was what to do on the weekend. Now, we're entrusted with high levels of tech, we have enemies who will _actually_ kill us, and others not only put their trust in our hands but their lives. If we screw up, the penalty is a lot more serious than getting caught breaking curfew. Sure, there's too much training and protocols and everyone can't finish a sentence without cursing; but in that way, we're forced to learn the most valuable lesson in life which is something our parents never directly mentioned to us when they were The Avengers – how to live up to our responsibilities and _not_ be a failure."

Daniel would be lying if he said that he disagreed with what she said. Their lives have changed a lot since high school and nothing will ever be the same for them again. Even though Emily didn't attend SHIELD Academy with him and the others, she has still been affected by it all. Emily looks at him with the tears now falling down her cheeks.

"It's no hyperbole when people say that lives are at stake," Daniel responds slowly. "One wrong decision, even by the slimmest detail, and all your loved ones will die. But that's the reason why we're fighting. When all is said and done and you lose all your hope; you remember that you're not doing this for yourself, but for each other. You fight for your people, your friends, your family to keep them all alive, and they fight for you so that you can return home with them. Even without our pasts and the legacy we're supposed to live up to, we still have that feeling inside of us. Everything from SHIELD to The Avengers Initiative to Project: New Generation and even to whoever takes over in the future was and will be built on that simple promise."

Emily doesn't reply with words but with a hug that takes him by surprise. With his arms wrapped around her and her head resting on his shoulders, there is suddenly no pain in her body. They hold each other tightly. It's the first hug they've shared in such a long time but it felt as if no time has passed at all.

"Hey," Daniel says, slightly parting from her. "I need to ask you something important." She looks at him, waiting for his question. "Do you still want to get married?"

Emily looks at him with no recognizable expression on her face as she fully parts from him. She looks down at the engagement ring on her finger and doesn't hesitate to slide it off. Emily holds the ring in front of her face and squints one eye so she can see his face through the small piece of jewelry. Emily sees his face break apart with his mind racing about the possibility of breaking off the engagement – but she loves him with all of her heart so why would she ever do such a thing?

"I needed this ring," Emily tells him honestly, keeping the ring where it was and still looking through it as though it were a monocle. "I needed it with Technovore more than ever. Whenever I was worried or scared for my life, I would look down and see this beautiful ring on my finger. It was a symbol telling me that I will be okay. It helped me to be brave during Technavore and now that I will be staying with you and the others, we're all going to need this."

Emily slips the ring back on her finger and looks at Daniel. The corner of his mouth lifts a little from relief and Emily grins.

"I will be your wife, Daniel," Emily reassures. "I already told you yes all those years ago."

"I remember, future Mrs. Stark-Banner."

Emily gasps. "You remember I wanted a hyphenated name!"

He laughs a little as he pulls her into a kiss.

* * *

 **All of the Emily and Daniel shippers can rejoice!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **– Before the team can move on, there are just a few small tasks that have to be taken care of...**


	41. Burning all Loose Ends

**I don't know why I'm publishing this now because I'm half-asleep.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-One: Burning All Loose Ends

 _AIM Base - 11:41 AM_

Several AIM agents come bursting inside, frantic and panting as they run inside. The superior of this base (since there are many), marches over to them, needing information for this outburst immediately.

"Explain yourself," the superior orders.

"Project: New Generation was chasing us in the air," one agent replies. "Luckily, we lost them and got back safely."

The superior groans as he brings his arms across his chest. "They were chasing you and you came back here!"

The AIM agents suddenly realize their awful mistake. They didn't lose Project: New Generation, they led them right to their base. Before an order could be given to search the perimeter, the ones they're looking for are already right under their noses.

Suddenly, Angela drops from the ceiling with both guns in her hands, keeping every one of her side on her radar. All the AIM agents are frozen in shock.

"Where did you come from?" An AIM agent demands her.

Angela smirks. "I fell from heaven."

"Awe!" James exclaims, popping up by surprise from behind one of the computer desks. "That's my angel."

All the agents around James point their weapons at him. Angela sighs, keeping her guns pointed at them all. Parallel from Angela at the other end of the room, James puts his hands up over his head and stands on the desk chair.

Then, Merida walks in holding a chain. She's currently standing parallel from Angela at a different angle. Merida throws the chains she was holding across the room before standing straighter and pulling an arrow out of the quiver that's strapped to her waist.

"Usually a chained door means closed but it's not our fault your frantic asses didn't lock it," Merida says, holding up her bow.

"Yeah, you guys should really know how to work under pressure," Xavier says, appearing where Merida's chains landed. "We learned that the hard way."

"You'd think that the nerds who made Technovore would have better security measures and field agents," Angela comments.

"Obviously they don't think their strategies through," James says. "Technovore was a bust and picking Emily Stark's family was just a horrible move on your part because friends take care of each other."

"You think you SHIELD agents can outsmart us with your words?" The superior of this division asks in a taunting tone that isn't really all that taunting.

"Not really," Merida admits. "I mean, Emily Stark is one you wouldn't want to enter a battle of the wits against. I think it's fair to say that say that unlike you, we know how to plan our attacks."

The AIM agents all look around to see what Merida means. They start from where Angela's standing. She's in one corner with her guns pointed at them, ready to fire when commanded to. Then their heads go to the other end of the room where James stands on a chair with his hands above his head. Not only is he at a higher altitude since he's currently taller than them but his hands are free to fire his bio-electricity shots, and he can shrink down and fly whenever asked to. Going diagonally from James, back to the other end of the room, a good distance beside Angela is Merida. She's already holding her bow out. Then the same distance separating Angela and James and Angela and Merida is the same distance between Xavier and Merida and Xavier and James. In Xavier's hands are the chains Merida got from the door which he will most definitely use as a weapon to his advantage.

The four of them are standing in a square, having full coverage and surrounding of the AIM agents in the room. To the AIM agents, it seemed unintentional at first but now they know that was their strategy in the beginning.

"Since you believe your words to be so intelligent," Xavier says, winding the ends of the chains around his hand to have a solid grip on it. "I suggest you picking your last ones wisely."

-o-

 _Stark Industries - 14:55 PM_

 _Intercom: Mrs. Stark, your next appointment is here._

"Send her up," Pepper replies, already knowing who it is without needing to look at her schedule. "She knows the way."

Seconds later, Emily marches into her mother's office, her heels making their marks on the soft carpet beneath her feet. Emily stands there, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed as she waits for her mother to face her. Instead, Pepper continues typing, her eyes not looking down at the keyboard once as her fingers type to the rhythm of the second hand on the clock. One of Emily's feet starts to tap along to that rhythm in order to get her mother's attention which comes five minutes later.

Pepper finally lifts her hands from the keyboard and sits back before giving Emily a comforting smile. Emily, however, is still mad.

"I can't believe you made me book an appointment," Emily states.

"And I can't believe you didn't close the door on your way in," Pepper replies.

Emily turns around and reluctantly closes the door, slightly slamming it to get her mother's attention once again. That doesn't go as planned so Emily ends up standing back where she originally was.

"I'm a busy woman and you're lucky I gave you one," Pepper says with a small smile that Emily frowns at. "Why are you still here?"

Emily is taken aback by that question. "Excuse me?"

"Why aren't you at SHIELD with your friends? I think they're visiting the AIM base that sent Technovore. You should've gone with them."

Emily would be lying if she said she knew what was going on in this conversation. She is actually really confused right now. Pepper folds her hands together on her desk in a pleased fashion.

"Teenage me never stayed home and now you want me out?" Emily questions. Pepper nods. "Oh, how the times have changed."

"Emily."

Emily sighs. "Mom, ever since I have been a child, you've wanted me to set my priorities straight and all I did was ignore you. That is until I went to university and did one of my majors in business. Don't think I didn't like it because I did. I loved it a lot. Then, I did my internships and sat through all the god-awful boring meetings because some colleagues are just so damn stupid that I wanted to hit my head against the table or better yet, hit theirs."

Pepper smiles with a small laugh. "And to think I wondered if I ever rubbed off on you."

"I wanted to impress you, Mom, because you're my number one role model. You might not know mixed-martial arts or speak ten languages, but your ability to not tolerate bullshit in six-inch heels is what really blows my mind."

Pepper feels her heart warming up at the unexpected compliment from her daughter. She stands up and brushes her pantsuit off before walking around to sit on the front edge of her desk. Emily's face softens up.

"You're done university," Pepper states to her. "You're done and you graduated and I am so, _so_ proud of you. As for the company, you don't really have to be a business woman just yet, especially since I'm not retiring anytime soon."

Emily fakes a gasp, understanding what her mother is telling her. "Are you firing me before hiring me?"

Pepper smirks. "Go. Go with SHIELD. Go be a badass who doesn't tolerate anyone's bullshit while wearing six-inch heels."

"I'd love to but I don't think that's in the uniform."

Pepper scoffs. "You could pull off whatever they throw at you."

"That's the Stark gene."

"It sure is." She takes a quick glance at her watch and sees that her next appointment is in five minutes. "Just one more thing before I have to kick you out and force you to go to SHIELD."

"What?"

"Close the door on your way out."

And as expected, Emily purposely ignores her mother's wish at first before going to close the door.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ – Emily's faced with a decision that will inevitably have an obvious outcome**


	42. Mind Over Muscle

**I am currently pissed because I was supposed to be going on vacation but now we're not going due to some reason that I find to be stupid. Well, it's probably not a stupid reason but I'm just being passive-aggressive and salty towards it.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two: Mind Over Muscle

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 8:44 AM_

She hates the stupid parole bracelet for two main reasons: it kept on causing her to stick to the wall for every entry she wasn't allowed to go through (even if it was just meant to be a silly shortcut or she accidentally got lost in this labyrinth of an institution) and it wouldn't match any outfit in her closet. She makes a mental note to tamper with it when she gets the chance. It shouldn't be that hard to modify.

After being accepted by SHIELD and their long interrogation, Emily walks around the place in search for her friends. The agents who pass her give her looks - not the judgmental kind or the kind that loves her shoes, but the looks that show recognition. Emily has a feeling that they know her not only as Tony Stark's daughter but the sixth member to show up for Project: New Generation and the inventor of a handful of their new gadgets. It's a look that Emily has never seen before today and she loves it. If anyone were to ask for a photograph or an autograph she would do it.

After asking and being told where some of her friends are, Emily heads to the training section of SHIELD Headquarters. Even with the directions, she still gets lost and ends up in the viewing section of the training rooms. Emily looks down, like a practicing doctor watching a surgery. She sees Xavier, Angela, and Merida sparring with one another.

Everything happening down there too fast for Emily's eyes to keep up with. The punches and attacks she sees all look so real but she knows that they're only sparring. Suddenly, she sees Merida with her back to the twins and suddenly stops fighting as well. Merida stands up straight and slowly turns around to face Angela and Xavier, her chin covered in blood from a split lip. That gets Emily thinking that maybe she is watching a surgery take place.

Merida looks up from her bloody hands and her eyes land on Xavier and Angela, unsure of which one of them did this but she doesn't really care. Even the twins aren't a hundred percent sure which one of them caused the bleeding. The only reason Merida even froze for a bit is that out of all things, ironically, she's scared of blood.

"I need a break," Merida says.

"Sure," Xavier replies.

Merida looks up at him in shock. "I thought you would say that I can have one when I'm dead."

Xavier says nothing. Merida still looks at her own blood that's on her hands, running down her lip, and now staining her training clothes.

"Merida?" Angela questions.

Merida clenches her fists together and wipes across her bloody lip, tasting iron in her mouth and resisting the urge to gag uncontrollably.

"Forget it happened," Merida states, holding up her fists to continue sparring.

From the viewing section, Emily, having witnessed all that, backs away feeling extremely uncomfortable. She knows that they're only sparring and it's for good practice but what she couldn't digest was how they could just hit one another to the point where they could die - and it's only training!

This is why she told Daniel that the people they all became is unsettling. And she's no hypocrite. She even counted herself in that statement since she made weapons for SHIELD.

After asking other agents for a set of directions, Emily finally arrives at the laboratories and sees Daniel and James working on something. She walks in after being rejected at first due to the SHIELD parole bracelet she has to wear since she's not a uniformed agent, by she eventually gets accepted.

James lights up at the sight of Emily and immediately drops everything he's holding to hug her. As they reconnect, Daniel sighs happily as he picks up all the papers and places them on the countertops.

"I haven't seen you since - " James starts, suddenly not being able to remember when he last saw her. " - a while!"

James kisses Emily's forehead out of joy as he hears Daniel coughing in the background since she is his fiancée.

"I'm right here," Daniel says.

Just to spite Daniel, Emily quickly kisses James's forehead. Daniel knows that it's all heartfelt and for laughs but still, he's standing right there.

James looks at him. "Settle down, I'll kiss you later if you want."

Daniel shudders at the thought of James kissing him as Emily and James laugh. Emily runs over to Daniel and hugs him tightly, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Still holding him, she looks at the papers James dropped and sees some sort of plan written on them.

"Please tell me that doesn't involve fake-killing each other like what Merida and the Rogers twins are doing," Emily begs seriously. "They're all in a bloodbath."

"No, not at all," Daniel says gratefully.

Emily perks up with interest. "I'm listening."

James puts the papers back in order. "I have an assignment, well considering who gave it to me it's technically a chore. My dad is bringing over a ton of Pym Particles to move into a storage and/or disposal unit. The problem is my dad's labs that are best suited for this job are going through repairs and SHIELD is, well, SHIELD. He trusts them to an extent but not with his life's work."

"We could go to my place. I'm sure there's one good lab in there that Technovore didn't demolish. Besides, it'll be safer there than here and I won't be bound by this ugly accessory."

Emily lifts her wrist and jingles her SHIELD parole bracelet.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- James, Daniel, and Emily aka three scientists with some Pym Particles in their hands, what could possibly go wrong?**


	43. Pym Particles: Part One

**This arc has been rewritten about three or four times. If you think that's a lot then wait till you see how many times some of the future arcs are.**

 ** _Note_ \- this arc will start and/or end with flashbacks pertaining to Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne's (aka James' parents) relationship. This is here not only because I am trash for them as a pairing but just to show a really basic foundation on their relationship in terms of this series (since they do not have their own story like the others). The years as to when the flashbacks take place will be in the subtitles.**

 ** _Copyright_ \- Avengers Assemble (Marvel Animation)**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three: Pym Particles Part One

 _Van Dyne Laboratories - Thirty-Five Years Ago - 24:52 AM_

Standing in a laboratory in the midst of checking what might yet be his greatest creation to date is none other than Dr. Hank Pym. He works for (or alongside) Vernon Van Dyne (who's technically his superior but he prefers the term colleague). Vernon has a daughter, Janet Van Dyne. She's a glamorous socialite with a carefree spirit and a level of confidence that surpasses the money in her hefty bank account. Like her mother, she went down the path of fashion and entrepreneurship and had no interest in science. That is until Vernon's unexpected murder forced her to take the reins on what she inherited, which was everything.

"Pym!" Janet yells, bursting into his laboratory.

Take by surprise, Hank drops what he's working on (which to his luck wasn't fragile) and turns to face the petite woman in front of him. There was no denying that Janet had this specific type of beauty and charm about her. She is a woman who knows how to present herself which is what attracted Hank to her.

Hank is flustered about how to approach this conversation. He could ask Janet what she's doing here at this time of day but she could reply with the same question.

"I need your help in avenging my father's murder," Janet says. "Now, let me explain before you yap in my face that grief is normal. I know that you've been working on these Pym Particles, call it what you will because my dad told me. He usually keeps me in the dark about what happens here but I think he told me this project on purpose because he wants me to join you."

Hank is speechless just for a moment before he says, "no, Janet, it's dangerous."

"Hank, please." She takes both of his hands into hers. "My dad was murdered and there's a chance that I'm next. Don't do this for me, do it for my father. I wasn't supposed to tell you this until after but I was going to give you this company. I certainly don't want it but I know it's your passion."

Hank looks at Janet longer. Even though she took after her mother, he could see Vernon in her eyes. He sighs, changing their embrace so that he's holding her hands instead of the other way around.

"I'll help you, Janet," Hank says, "I will."

And from that moment, not only were the Ant-Man and the Wasp were born, but so was their romance.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - Present Day - 10:31 AM_

There was one laboratory in Stark Towers that was still fully functioning from the Technovore attack so that is where they all decided to transport the Pym Particles. The lab was set up with each storage unit properly placed on a table and labeled. Their supervisor for the task, Hank Pym, walks in, approving of what he sees Daniel, Emily, and James doing so far.

"I have a question," Emily says, removing the safety glasses she hates so much from her face. She looks directly at Hank. "Why did you ever agree to do this at my place?"

Hank narrows his eyes at her as Emily beams with pride. She knows why, Hank knows why, and everyone knows why. Emily just wants to hear it again for the sake of her ego and scientific pride.

"Stark has incredible technology in his own home," Hank admits for possibly the fifth time with a monotone voice of annoyance. "And some of my qualified labs for this project are either under renovation, demolition or relocation."

"You're so sweet," Emily says as if she was hearing those words for the first time.

Hank sighs, wishing Emily took more after Pepper than Tony. He's about to counteract some kind of an argument against Emily but looks down and sees that his phone is ringing. He excuses himself to take the call, leaving Emily, Daniel, and James with the Pym Particles.

"Remember, we practiced this," James says. "We ran some demo simulations back at SHIELD because this could become dangerous if we mess this up."

"Relax, James, we got this," Emily says.

James isn't even smiling. "Emily, I'm serious. Now's not the time to be cocky."

"There is a difference between being cocky and being confident, you know that better than anyone."

"There is also a fine line which you are crossing."

Daniel groans as he rubs his temple. At this rate, the world will be doomed of Pym Particles.

-o-

 _El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - Present Day - 10:33 AM_

In the middle of a rainforest, Merida, Angela, and Xavier push their way through the over grown trees. The humidity makes them sweat so much that leaves that fall from their branches end up sticking to their faces like paper on glue. It was too hot and unbearable but they had to suck it up and not complain because they were on a mission for Hank Pym. While the others are in Stark Towers sorting out some Pym Particles, they're supposed to clean out one of his outstanding laboratories for information or materials that may still be useful before destroying the lab itself.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Merida asks, tying up her curls into a bun with a small rope. "I swear, I've seen that tree ten times already."

Xavier looks down at his tablet. "Well, Hank didn't give us detailed directions in the case that they got leaked but I assume that we're going the right way since - "

"I can still see them with my own eyes!"

The three of them freeze at the sound of that voice. Their hands hover over their weapons but they stand down once they hear the familiar swatting of tree branches and the chirpy voice once more is being said.

"Relax, Hank," Janet says on the phone, kicking broken branches off to the side as she stands with the team.

Janet makes eye contact with the team and just waves her hand at them as a way to tell them to just keep walking straight ahead. The team looks at each other, hoping that the laboratory is actually just straight ahead since Janet is the one who's supposed to tell them how to get there more precisely than the actual directions.

"Will you relax?" Janet says on the phone as she follows the others. "This isn't like the time I lost James in the department store when he was five."

 _Hank: Janet, I'm serious. Be careful._

"You're so over-protective."

 _Hank: How the hell do you even have service in the middle of the rainforest?_

Janet smirks. "I'm Janet Van Dyne, I always have service."

Janet knows that Hank is rolling his eyes on the other side. That's what keeps her smile going.

 _Hank: Janet, I'm serious, don't get yourself or the others killed._

"Hank, I'll be fine."

 _Hank: You seem really excited about this._

"I'm a really positive person and I have my not-yet-future daughter-in-law with me along with mini-Steve and my favorite former Girl Scout. It'll be a blast - no pun intended."

Hank laughs which makes Janet's insides flutter even till this day.

 _Hank: I love you and I gotta go._

"Me too. My team is currently giving me the evil eye."

-o-

 _Stark Towers - Present Day - 10:40 AM_

"If we don't focus, this will be an emergency," Daniel says.

"We've been focused so far and we're doing a great job," Emily says. "Why are we even having this conversation?"

"We're relocating highly unstable Pym Particles," James replies. "If they escape, there is a definite chance that everything in the world we know will shrink at the speed of light and basically out of existence including the Earth itself."

Emily and Daniel nod, making James at ease. They continue carefully relocating the Pym Particles from their current containers to a disposal unit. For a few minutes and trials, they actually feel like a well-oiled machine while transporting the particles. That is until James notices something a bit off.

"...guys," James mutters worriedly. "I think we fucked something up in the process."

"What do you mean?" Daniel questions. "You're just being paranoid. Everything's fine."

To their surprise, Stark Towers' alarm system goes off.

"Relax," Emily says, going over to the controls to turn them off. "My Tower is still under construction so maybe it's a false alarm."

 _Jarvis: Warning! Pym Particles loose!_

Emily blinks. "Or not."

At the sound of Jarvis' warning, Hank walks in as Emily shuts off the alarm. Hank groans in frustration.

"I left you three alone for barely five minutes!" Hank yells at them.

* * *

 **If I were an agent of some kind, I would probably be Janet.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Being in Stark Towers with loose Pym particles or being on a mission with Janet, which is more dangerous?**


	44. Pym Particles: Part Two

**_Recap_ \- Hank is stuck with a lethal particle problem while Janet is in charge of a team in Puerto Rico.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Four: Pym Particles Part Two

 _Pym Laboratories - Thirty-Three Years Ago - 17:15 PM_

Hank stands in his office behind his overflowing desk. His arms rest on the edges of his desk as Janet sits on a couch that is against the wall. Her legs are crossed on the leather cushions as her hands are folded up, elbows resting on her knees as she watches Hank.

"You're going to crack under all this pressure you're putting on yourself," Janet tells him.

She stands up, unsure if Hank even heard her. She takes a few steps closer and jumps in fright as he knocks some of the paper work to the floor. Once he's finished, Hank runs a worried hand through his hair and Janet stands close to him.

"I'll help you," Janet says to him. "Let me take something off of your to-do list."

"How?" Hank responds. "You don't like this kind of life and I'm not the once to force you into it."

Janet takes his arm with both her hands and looks up at him with the utmost love and adoration in her eyes and a small smile on her face.

"I will marry you," she tells him.

Hank is taken aback with her statement. "How did you know I was going to propose?"

Janet laughs a little. "I do now."

They both laugh a little at their spontaneous proposal as Janet squeals with excitement. Hank steps over the papers on the floor to get to his jacket. He searches through his pocket and pulls out the velvet box with the ring in it.

-o-

 _El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - Present Day - 10:42 AM_

Janet and her team continue walking through the jungle, Xavier taking the lead with the extremely vague directions on his tablet. Xavier, Angela, and Merida all hold their weapons, ready to fire at what might be in the deep nooks and crannies of this jungle (in most scenarios, it ended up being only wildlife) while Janet walks with a little skip in her step (it's her natural pace).

Xavier looks down at his tablet and sees flashing red lights ahead of them. "There are upcoming signs of life and military equipment where the lab is supposed to be."

"Maybe it's the Puerto Rican army," Angela guesses.

"But it would've picked up on it being the Puerto Rican army. It's unknown."

Janet frowns. "I can't believe people trespassed on my property and are now going to loot Hank for whatever he left in there."

Merida suddenly perks up. "If we can detect them then they can surely detect us."

Everyone is silent as they hear the sound of weapons being loaded. They look at Xavier for a plan and his face is blank.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - Present Day - 10:46 AM_

"How bad is it?" Daniel asks.

"Not _too_ bad," James says with hope in his voice.

"There's an abundance of unstable particles loose in this room. It's nearly impossible to predict their effects, locations, anything!" Hank exclaims.

"Never mind," James whispers to Daniel, "it's bad."

"The warmer the color, the easier they are to spot," Hank points out.

"Jarvis," Emily calls, "turn the lights to 200 kelvin."

The lights change and suddenly they're all able to see the room littered with small multicolored dots that can only be seen in this new light and grouped together by the thousands and millions. They look around and they're everywhere, rendering them all immobile without making contact with one.

"Jarvis," Emily calls again, "seal the room completely shut."

Jarvis does so and everyone turns their eyes to Hank for a plan. His face is strict, not because he's mad (even though he is) but because he's thinking. He quickly gets an idea.

"The particles are much too small to catch ourselves and too dangerous," Hank says. "I have some qualified assistants to help out."

Hank sends out a call using an EMP communication device and the lab fills up with ants. Emily's eyes widen in fear and disgust at the sight of this minuscule army crawling on her floor, especially since she sealed the room shut meaning that Hank had them with him this whole time.

"Great," Emily states dryly as she squirms on her toes, careful not to squish any of the ants. "Not only do I have a drywall problem but now I'll have an ant infestation."

"You're never going to forgive us for this, are you?" Daniel asks.

"I'll forgive you," James replies even though Daniel wasn't asking him.

"I won't," Hank says as he begins to instruct his ants on what to do. Nobody's quite sure if he's serious or not but he most likely is.

-o-

 _El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - Present Day - 10:53 AM_

An army of men piles into the section of the jungle where their scans picked up on some unwanted visitors. Expecting to see them, the army only holds their weapons up to emptiness. Trees are slightly broken, the grass is tattered and not in their tufts. To their surprise, the ground is littered with ammunition, stray arrows, and a single combat boot meaning that a fight has taken place here. Orders are being yelled in their language and that is when the trees start rustling.

Xavier is the first one to leap out of the trees. The army reacts as one soldier grabs his shield. Xavier lowers it from his hands and decks him right across the face. Angela drops out next and lands right in front of a soldier who seems to take a fancy to her.

"Where did you come from?" The soldier asks in a broken English accent.

Angela smirks, about to use this to her advantage. "I was dropped out of heaven."

She instantly kicks him in the face. Angela jumps in the air, spinning around whilst kicking over two more. She dives onto the ground, putting the combat boot on the ground, which belonged to her back on. Before a soldier could pounce on her, Xavier bashes him over.

Merida jumps out next, using a soldier as her landing pad. She uses her bow as a battering ram for the first few hits before resorting to using her arrows. That's when Janet flies in, shooting down the rest of them.

Once that's dealt with, Janet grows back to her normal size, Merida picks up her stray arrows as Xavier and Angela gather the ammunition.

"I know where the lab is from here," Janet says, leading the way.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Hank's team is still going to be dealing with the Pym Particles as Janet's arrive at the laboratory**


	45. Pym Particles: Part Three

**I'm just going to put it out there that I do know where I'm going to stop my daily updates since school is (unfortunately) coming. Don't worry, there is still a healthy amount of chapters till then and I've picked the perfect place to tale a break.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Hank has called on an army of ants to help him just as Janet defeated an army of her own.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Five: Pym Particles Part Three

 _Pym's Penthouse - Thirty-Two Years Ago - 18:40 PM_

The one outlet that has not been silent this whole time about Hank and Janet's relationship is the media. There was always something to talk about when it came to the two of them when they were dating, engaged, and even in their marriage. The rumors were more or less the same - Hank simply using Janet for her money (especially since she gave him the company after avenging her father's death) and Janet having affairs.

None of which was true nor affected a couple. They've been in the limelight long enough to know that every thing the media stand on is all about making money (which is what the reporters think they're in this relationship for).

"You seem to be blown away by this man," Hank says sarcastically, showing Janet an article.

Janet glances at the article with another boisterous headline about her loving another man who isn't her husband. This picture has her standing in front of a dapper man who is more than a head taller than her. Janet also has her hands on the flaps of his jacket as her eyes are opened wide with excitement.

Janet grins with a joking eye roll. "This is taken so out of context. I'm not going to lie, Hank, I do look at other men but not in that way. I'm in a fashion business, I'm supposed to look at their outfits and get close to see the tailoring, fabric, and fit. You're my husband and you're the most handsome man I've ever seen. That doesn't mean I'm banned from admiring any other man's looks."

Hank smiles at her and kisses her forehead. "I know."

-o-

 _El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - Present Day - 11:00 AM_

Janet and her team stop when they approach the border of the lab, hiding behind the bushes that fence around. Looking down at his scans, Xavier reads the numbers that pop up. Everyone looks over his shoulders to see.

"We're outnumbered by double digits," Xavier says, "possibly triple if you count the men inside."

"We should do a stealthy approach because who knows what the hell is in that lab," Merida suggests.

"But if they spot us being stealthy then what's going to stop them from firing whatever they may have at us?"

"We'd be quick."

"We could sneak inside and bring the fight outwards," Angela suggests instead.

"That wouldn't stop the outside forces from coming in," Xavier counteracts.

As the three of them continue bickering about a strategy that would have the least amount of flaws, Janet looks down and sees a small lizard skitter by her foot. She kneels on the ground and sees all the different wildlife in the area. Then it hits her that they're currently in a forest which is incredibly diverse in terms of wildlife, especially insects.

Then she remembers what Hank told her all those years ago when this lab was brand new. He always has a reasons for putting laboratories in seemingly odd places in the world.

"Want to know why Hank built his lab here?" Janet asks the group.

They stop talking about strategies as Janet shrinks down. At first, they think that Janet was actually going to tell them why Hank chose this specific jungle but they know Janet well enough and she isn't going to dive into history. She sends out a signal using the EMP communication device she wears as an earpiece. At the rise of her arms, millions upon billions of bugs pour out of their habitats, coming from the trees, plants, underground, or the sky. At her command, they charge at the army surrounding the perimeter of the lab, not only freaking them out but malfunctioning their weapons. And with the overflow of insects come the predatory reptiles and birds.

"Fly, my babies, fly!" Janet exclaims happily as she leads the group through the mass infestation and into the lab.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - Present Day - 11:07 AM_

The towers alarms finally stop when the Pym Particles are safely placed where they're supposed to be thanks to the specially-trained ants. As Hank assembles the insects back, Daniel and James reopen the ventilation systems to allow the air to flow freely into the room without the worry of contaminating the air. Emily still shivers from the fact that ants were just crawling around her home.

"Can we get back to work?" Hank asks them, specifically Emily.

"Just give me a minute," Emily says, walking out. "All those bugs were overwhelming."

Emily leaves the three men in her lab, waiting for her to return. Hank smiles and laughs to himself since that was Janet's exact reaction to seeing the bugs for the first time. Daniel and James just think to herself that if Emily found those ants disturbing, she would've dropped dead somewhere in the rainforest if she went with Janet.

-o-

 _El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - Present Day - 11:19 AM_

The four of them burst into the laboratory, seeing it still in use but not for the ways it was intended to nor to Hank's knowledge. They examine what they see as quickly as they can: many scientists and soldiers around, all armed; and open concept setting with high ceilings and many experiments going on all at once; and a second-floor balcony that circles the room and leads to storage rooms.

"Janet," Xavier quickly asks, "what's the plan for the lab?"

"Once we clear out as much as we can, we're going to shrink the place down to a subatomic size," Janet explains, eyeballing all the weapons pointed at them. "The walls are coated with Pym Particles that will respond to a storage gun I have."

She hovers a hand over the gun secured to her waist. If there was something notable about this woman, she always has the right accessories.

Janet flies up to one end of the balcony to start fighting there, Merida takes the other end, and the twins stay downstairs.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- the battle has just begun.**


	46. Pym Particles: Part Four

**_Recap_ \- Janet's team has just started the infiltration.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six: Pym Particles Part Four

 _Pym's Penthouse - Twenty-Seven Years Ago - 16:43 PM_

"Janet," Hank says.

Looking up from her computer, Janet sees Hank enter her home office. In his hands is a simple white envelope with his name engraved across the center in black cursive. The envelope itself also has a simple border that was half-pink and half-blue. Janet sees Hank's confused expression and can't help but smirk.

"Open it," she tells him.

"What is it?" He asks her.

"I got you a gift."

"It's not my birthday."

"I know." Her smile grows. "It's for Father's Day."

"Janet, it's not Father's Day and we don't have any kids."

Janet just gives him an eyebrow raise. Hank slowly opens the envelope and pulls out a card. He doesn't really pay attention to what's on the cover of the card but what's on the inside. The card didn't have any standard text in it but Janet's writing. It wasn't fancy like the envelope but just had Janet's rushed yet still-eligible writing in it, half-cursive and about ten font sizes too big. There was also a happy face at the bottom. Hank has to read the simple two-word message two thousand times before actually understanding what it says. Janet laughs excitedly as she goes up to hug him.

"We're pregnant!" Hank exclaims, reading the card.

"We're pregnant!" Janet cheers, jumping up to kiss her husband.

-o-

 _El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico - Present Day - 11:22 AM_

Angela takes one end of the lower level as Xavier handles the other.

Xavier kicks over one entire table which hits and knocks over some of the soldiers and scientists. Equipment flies all around and even though they're still highly out-numbered, Xavier still has a good knowledge of who's pointing what kind of weapon at him and from where. Bullets bounce off his shield from every angle as he turns. He quickly pulls out his gun and fires back. Xavier quickly turns his shield horizontally and whips it like a frisbee to knock them all over in the circular formation they're all in.

Angela takes random documents that she thinks look important as she kicks over the scientists who mangle them. She shoves them in her utility belt as she uses both of her guns to fire. Once out of ammunition, Angela discards her guns momentarily and starts using some stray test tubes as her weapons. She sees a soldier coming in her direction so she round-house kicks him to the ground, taking his weapon as her own.

Merida runs along her side of the upper level. She sees a hoard of soldiers in front of her and she holds one arrow in her quiver. She fires it and the arrow zips by right above their heads. As the soldiers look and wonder why the hell she missed by so much, Merida is already taking them down with her bare hands. She knocks some of them over the ledge, sending them crashing down to the lower level and not caring whether or not they landed on Angela or Xavier since not only will it be their problem but it will be a problem they can handle.

Janet grows back to her normal size again once she lands on her half of the upper level. She takes out her particle storage gun and starts to shrink the place down. The walls and ceilings start to crumble down due to the gun and everyone starts to notice. Many soldiers try to take her down to prevent this but she fires back at them with her free hand.

One of the soldiers shoots the gun in her hands and it flies over the balcony and hits the ground below. Janet is about to shrink down and fly to get it herself but gets yanked back by her short hair. She screams since she values her hair before kicking her leg back and knocking over the soldier.

Angela dives forwards for the storage gun. As Merida and Xavier cover her, she lies on her back and fires the gun at the ceiling until the place shrinks down another couple of feet until the entire place itself is only a few feet above their heads.

"Are we supposed to be in here when the place shrinks down into nothing?" Merida asks.

"Unless you want to go to whatever the subatomic world is," Xavier replies. "I don't."

Merida loads her bow and fires it at the last soldier harassing Janet. Once Janet's on her feet again, Angela throws the storage gun back up at her.

"I got this!" Janet exclaims as she catches the gun. "Go!"

They all nod and listen without objection. On a normal mission, they would argue to stay but this place will literally compress them into a subatomic world and Janet is the only one who could shrink down the most without entering it. Once alone, Janet turns the gun into an implosion device by shifting one of the gears. She plants it on the wall and sets it to a ten-second countdown. As it ticks down, Janet knows she has to get out as fast as she can.

Janet climbs onto the ledge and is about to shrink down and fly out but gets shot. She gasps as she feels her body go limp and fall unconscious, her eyes closing as she watches the numbers get smaller and smaller.

-o-

The lab itself disappears and all that remains is the storage device. Xavier, Angela, and Merida all run over, calling for Janet who is nowhere to be seen. Then they're all forced to believe the truth they didn't want to accept: Janet ran out of time and is now in the subatomic world.

They all look at each other, unsure of what will happen now.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - Present Day - 11:59 AM_

Everything with the Pym Particles on this end is being cleaned up. The whole day was a success despite the accident in the beginning. James looks down at his ringing phone and a small smile approaches his face when he sees that it's Angela. He steps to the side as he picks it up.

"Hey, babe, how's Puerto Rico?" James asks her.

 _Angela: James, are you with your dad?_

James looks over his and sees his dad nearby, talking to Emily and Daniel about her drywall problem. A part of him doesn't want to answer that question because the serious and frightened tone that Angela had in her voice makes him not want to know what she would say next. James takes a quick breath, deciding on going with the benefit of the doubt to hope for the best in this phone call.

"Yeah, he's here," James replies casually. "We're still at Stark Towers, just finishing up. Why what happened?"

Hearing the ongoing phone call, Hank turns around to look at James. They can't hear the rest of his phone call but they notice and can feel the tension coming from it. James faces them and his face is pale with pure shock and his eyes fill up with tears. Hank immediately runs over as James drops the phone on the ground.

"James, who was that?" Hank asks frantically, holding his son.

"Mom's gone, Dad!" James yells. "She's in the subatomic world!"

* * *

 **Halfway through typing this chapter, I thought of a way they could've shrunken the lab down without Janet getting shot and going into the particle world.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will it be possible to get Janet back?**


	47. Pym Particles: Part Five

**This chapter gave me so many emotions while writing it. Oh my god...**

 ** _Recap_ \- Janet has gotten into the subatomic world, will Hank and James come up with a way to save her?**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven: Pym Particles Part Five

 _Hospital - Twenty-Seven Years Ago - 19:23 PM_

The news of Janet's pregnancy was the best thing to happen to the both of them ever since they met. Just the idea of the two of them having a baby they didn't exactly plan on having gave them the indication that this was meant to happen for them, that they were meant to be parents together. It all seemed to be getting even brighter for them as the months passed, especially when they learned that they would be having twins - a boy and a girl.

Little did they know at the time that when they thought they would have two babies, they would only come home from the hospital with one baby.

Shaken by the worst news of his life, Hank approaches his sleeping wife who wakes up at his entrance into her delivery room. She's happy, she's over-joyed which she should be since she just delivered twins. Little does she know the fate of her kids.

"Why do you look like that?" Janet asks softly, raising a tired arm to point at his worn out face.

"Janet..." Hank starts. The rest of that statement is too hard for him to finish but he has to tell her. "Jan, we lost the first one. We lost our girl."

Hank couldn't stand to watch Janet's face fall apart as he told her the heartbreaking news. She keeps on shaking her head, denying it from ever happening until Hank wraps his arms around her and she just sobs.

-o-

 _Pym Laboratories - Present Day - 4:27 AM_

It's been six days since Puerto Rico and Janet's disappearance into the subatomic world.

Hank and James have been thinking of what they could possibly do to get Janet back. They have been running simulations on what would happen if one of their plans were to happen and it would result in either someone dead or inconclusive - well, one of them was inconclusive.

"This is what we have to do," Hank explains. "I have to get in there, find your mother, and grow out of it."

"Dad, that's as much suicide as whatever happened to Mom!" James yells for the fifth time. "Besides, what are the chances of you even finding Mom while you're in there?! It's been six days!"

Hank tenses up with rage but doesn't lash out nor does he have an answer for his son. James just turns back and slumps against the wall. Then, he lifts his head.

"I should go in," James says.

"No," Hank immediately states. "Besides the obvious reasons, you can't grow."

"I'm sure I'll manage to keep myself stable in the world of instability."

"I'm not going to lose you."

"Oh, so it's _perfectly_ fine if I lose you?"

"James, it's not the same. I already lost Hazel and I'm not going to lose you or your mother."

James finds himself lost for words at the mention of his late twin sister who was stillborn. Sure, he never knew her but out of him and his parents, he personally felt the closest to her since they shared the womb for nine months. Despite her not being around, he still felt like the one-half of him that is a twin is empty.

"I'm getting air," James says, excusing himself.

James stands outside and tries his best to breathe. He would pick himself to jump into the subatomic world since his lifeline is longer and he could survive in there for more time, but he has never grown larger than his own size before. In retrospect, his dad has grown bigger and has a better understanding of the subatomic world.

The real questions at this point are: who is best suited to enter the subatomic world and get back out, and who has less to lose if there is no return?

James is suddenly taken away from his thoughts when he hears something drop from the lab he and his dad were in. He turns around on his heel and starts running back to the lab. When he arrives, all that he sees in there is a fallen storage gun to the subatomic world with no father of his in sight.

-o-

James can't stand still nor can he breathe. This was the one indecisive plan they thought of and it was still possible that it would result in death. Both of his parents are in there and his entire body is trembling because he has no idea what to do or what will happen next.

"I can't believe he did that!" James exclaims, slamming his fists against the lab counter with all his might (then getting mad at himself because that hurt a lot).

"I can," a different female voice says.

James turns around and sees the girl whom he assumes to be his conscious in the appearance of a hallucination - his late twin, Hazel - just to give him someone to have a conversation with. She's personified as his age with a sandy brown pixie haircut. She is his height with a skinny frame and lanky limbs. Her outfit was a crop top and short overalls that have a pink heart patch ironed on one of the legs, and wedge boots.

Hazel shrugs at him. "I mean, he entered the subatomic world to save his wife and the mother of his children. You would do the same if it was Angela in there hell, you wanted to do it for your own mom."

"No, I wouldn't do it for my girlfriend," James argues. "Angela would be long-gone and I'm pretty sure that Xavier would jump in first."

Hazel rolls her eyes. "Say what you want but you secretly saw this coming."

James sighs because not only does he want to pick an argument with his conscience, he doesn't want to admit that he's wrong. He leans against the wall as Hazel shuffles in front of him.

"I don't know what to do, Hazel," James says. "I kind of suspected that Dad would jump in with this inconclusive plan because he assumed that he would either think of a solution in there if death doesn't eat him first or hope that I come up with something. The thing is, Dad knows that he has to grow out of the subatomic world but that world is endless and where size is irrelevant so he'll just keep on growing and growing with no purpose - and what if he doesn't even find out mom who's been in there for days!"

"Here's the thing," Hazel says, "if they got in, they _should_ be able to get out."

" _Wow, why didn't I think of that?_ " He questions sarcastically with an eye roll.

"You're an ass," Hazel tells him.

" _You're_ an ass," James mimics with a squeaky rendition of her voice.

Hazel rolls her eyes.

"Hey, I have an idea!" She exclaims. "What about that quantum crap you've been endlessly bragging about to people who don't understand so they don't care."

James thinks it over and realizes that it could work. For the MojoWorld incident, it was a teleport. It got him and his friends from Earth to space and vice versa. If he was lucky, he could maybe open a portal to the subatomic world.

"Hazel, you're a genius!" James exclaims.

"I only know what you know because I'm literally your conscious," she responds.

"You're right...I'm a genius!"

Hazel rolls her eyes again as she watches James get to work.

"Wait, what was that alien code thing again?" James asks her.

Hazel laughs to herself. She recites it as James plugs it into a computer that he connected to the particle storage gun. The computer frizzes due to the unfamiliarity of the quantum entanglement. James immediately takes cover since he thinks it's going to blow which it does, but in the way that he hoped for. It opened a door and thirty seconds later, his dad grows out of it. James gratefully closes the door and sighs of relief at the sight of his dad.

"Where's Mom?" James asks with a crack in his voice.

Hank pants as he opens his cupped hands and shows Janet in her small form, alive but unconscious. She slowly stirs awake and grows to her normal size. Janet stretches, unaware of the time that has passed or that she entered the subatomic world since the last thing she remembers is getting shot down after putting the storage implosion device on the wall of the laboratory. Janet looks at her two boys and sees their eyes filled with tears.

"What?" Janet asks them. "Are you happy that all our work is done or just proud of my success?"

Without words as an answer, James and Hank immediately sandwich Janet in a tearful yet joyous hug. Janet just goes along with it since she has yet to know that it's been six days since Puerto Rico.

James feels Hazel stand behind him. She rubs his shoulders before fading away and leaving the three of them to rejoice in their reunion.

* * *

 **I just noticed this - Hank and Janet. Hazel and James. H and J. *applauds 12 y/o me for being a freaking genius without knowing it at the time.* I'm pretty sure the name Hazel came from my TFIOS phase and if Ant-Man was out at the time, I would've definitely named her Hope.**

 **If Scott Lang can get out of the subatomic world in his movie, then Hank and Janet can escape it in my story!**

 **And before you ask, yes, James will grow big in this story. (Spoilers but it'll be the next arc). And yes, I have another Hazel hallucination planned (but that's far away).**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- This just in!**


	48. Breaking News

**This was supposed to be two chapters but I just decided to make it one big chapter instead.**

 **I will definitely post part one of the next arc later.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Eight: Breaking News

 _Stark Towers - 10:37 AM_

As the sound of her tower being under construction pounds against her skull, Emily dives into the deep web to see what's new in the media. There was a lot going on but the articles that caught her eye the most were the ones about her. It wasn't completely because she was a narcissist but because the articles had to do with her engagement. If the articles had one underlying plot, it was the fact that she was engaged since high school with a fiancé that the public eye didn't know about.

It would've been easy for any of Emily's former classmates to say that her fiancé is Daniel Banner but Emily knows that nobody hated her and even if they did, they didn't hate Daniel. All in all, their privacy is respected and no journalist has found a leak.

"The media is a bitch," Janet says as she takes a seat beside Emily. "Back in the day, there was this one journalist who wrote that I was your dad's mistress. I read the article and almost believed it myself."

Emily laughs a little. "Apparently, having a seven-year engagement to a mystery man creates conspiracy theories."

"People these days love conspiracy theories so I think you're on the right track."

Janet shrugs. Emily just closes her laptop and moans into her couch. Now that she's back in town and going to stay with the others, she has so much more on her plate than in that seven-year period. She has her tower to fix before Daniel moves in with her since her parents decided to move into their California home, her Iron Man suit to finish building. her wedding to plan, and the family business just lingering in the back of her mind. And now the press is being a pain in her ass.

Janet rubs Emily's head. "Being out in the open with your engagement will be hard as if it wasn't already, especially since Daniel isn't the typical billionaire or all-star celebrity who everybody _expects_ you to marry. When Hank and I started dating, rumors flew all over the place saying crap about how marrying each other was a part of giving the company to him or that we're using each other for our money. I didn't believe that second one since I had more money than Hank so why would I be a gold-digger? Anyways, people will always say the worst just to get the most reads but what they say doesn't matter. When you and Daniel are celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary with your fifty grandkids running around, those journalists will be the ones looking foolish."

"They better," Emily says as she rubs her temples. She smiles to herself. "I've been thinking of doing a private wedding - just strictly family and friends."

"It's your relationship that matters most...and that your wedding has the best champagne."

Emily scoffs. "Jan, please, only the finest will be served."

-o-

 _Barton Household - 12:23 PM_

Sipping chilled beers in a backyard that has just been freshly mowed are Hank, Tony, Clint, and Steve. They all sunbathe in Clint's backyard, sitting in beach chairs and taking a casual day as a moment to relax and breathe in the cooling scent of cut grass. As for their entertainment, it was James doing the landscaping since he still got grounded for the incident with the Pym particles. He thought that his parents would let it slide since he saved their lives but no.

"Angela is a lucky girl," Tony says as they all watch James sharpen some hedge clippers.

Steve looks at him with a sour taste in his mouth. "Are you sure?"

The men all see James accidentally drop the hedge clippers. James shrieks like a girl and shrinks down as the clippers fall, just so the sharp edges don't slice off any of his limbs. Once the clippers hit the ground, a calm James grows back to his normal size and continues the gardening as if that incident never happened.

"James is a lucky boy," Hank corrects, not caring that he's deprecating his own son.

"That's more like it," Steve says as he and Hank clink beer bottles.

The focus back on James who wipes the sweat on his forehead before looking at the hedge that needs trimming. For a moment, he thinks that all he has to do is clip off all the uneven branches and make the hedge look pretty but that's not what the plan was.

"James, you think you can make that hedge look like me?!" Clint asks.

James looks over at Clint, about to laugh at that joke but the archer was dead serious about the hedge looking like him.

"...sure, why not?!" James replies optimistically with a hint of sarcasm as he starts clipping the hedge to resemble Clint.

Clint and Hank clink their beer bottles. This was going to be the best exterior design job yet. Merida might be able to tolerate it but Natasha was definitely going to get rid of it with a chainsaw.

"Youth is wasted on the young," Steve says.

"Says the man who's over a hundred years old but looks forty," Tony spits back.

-o-

 _Daniel's Apartment - 22:14 PM_

In Daniel's semi-empty apartment stand him, Xavier, Angela, and Merida. All of them are helping Daniel pack for his move into Stark Towers. It was a really easy packing job since he didn't really have much stuff in it to begin with. Since most of his work and research was overseas, he was rarely here for more than a week at a time. As of right now, they're all just sitting on closed boxes, resting.

"What if the media thinks you're a con man?" Xavier says as he browses through the online articles about Emily's _'mysterious'_ fiancé.

Daniel glares at him. Xavier couldn't tell if that look was serious or not.

"I'm kidding," Xavier says even though Daniel already knew that, "you'd be the worst con man ever."

"Speaking of weddings," Angela says with a heightened perk in her voice, "how much do you and Emily have planned?"

Daniel shrugs. "We don't even have a date so we have nothing planned except for the fact that we'll be married. Apollo, Britney, and Iqadi will definitely be there - that is, whenever the hell they'll show up which they have to eventually. I'm pretty sure Emily will handle all the technical details because I don't know how all that works."

Merida fakes a gasp. "Daniel doesn't know something!"

"You know how to slow dance, right?" Angela asks him. "Not prom dancing but wedding dancing?"

Daniel shrugs again. The only wedding he's really been to was Iqadi's which took place seven years ago. He didn't really need to know how to dance back then since it wasn't his wedding so he wasn't the center of attention. But now it was going to be his wedding and all eyes will be on him (he hopes they'll be looking at Emily more than him).

Merida fakes a gasp again. "Daniel doesn't know something!"

Daniel gives her a judgmental look. Merida just mimics his shrug as a response. As if Merida knew how to plan weddings and formally dance at them. She only knew how to ballroom dance for missions and that was it.

Angela immediately gets up from the box she was sitting on and grabs Merida to her feet. She begins demonstrating how ballroom dancing works and uses Merida as her fake partner, positioning herself and Merida as each part (Merida being the female of the waltz and Angela being the male). Angela could've asked Xavier to demonstrate since he's an actual boy but Xavier can barely ballroom dance on missions let alone in all causality.

The perk of Daniel's apartment being mostly cleaned out and stored away is that Angela has more room to teach him.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood or I would hate this so much," Merida says, unwillingly going along with Angela's movements.

"I'm enjoying this," Daniel says happily. He wouldn't say he's learning how to dance but he sure is entertained.

* * *

 **I've come to realize that Daniel is that friend who lowkey judges everyone ... and I am that friend.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- a mission in Antarctica will separate the team...**


	49. Symbiosis Part One

**I'm not gonna lie, this is my favorite arc so far and it is nine parts long.**

 ** _Copyright_ \- Avengers Assemble: Science Bros**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Nine: Symbiosis Part One

 _Stark Towers - 10:24 AM_

Early in the morning, Angela, Xavier, and Daniel all sit around the kitchen's island eating breakfast and reading over missions and debriefings. They compare notes right until Emily walks in since she can't hear any of this due to it all being classified information.

Emily doesn't really care though. Even if she did hear it all, it wouldn't be interesting to her. She prances into the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas. Emily approaches Daniel, puts an arm around him, and kisses him on the cheek. Angela and Xavier watch her as she goes to make herself a morning coffee.

"Em, did you get any sleep?" Angela asks her.

"Yeah, you look awful," Xavier adds.

Emily turns around from her espresso machine and gives Angela and Xavier the most irritated look ever. She just woke up and didn't do her makeup yet so yes, she looks dead. Still, she is a beautiful woman who just needs some caffeine to wake up and look alive.

"With all due respect to your ranks, Agent Rogers times two, I got at _least_ four hours," Emily tells them. "I spent most of the night reading an article about some research facility in the Antarctic. They didn't release their findings but it's been inactive for weeks and their only investor went missing - Sergei Sorokin."

At the sound of that name, Angela, Xavier, and Daniel all tense up before their faces express their frustration. Emily notices their reactions and for some odd reason, that excites her.

"Who is he?" She asks them.

"He kidnapped Merida's parents a while back for reasons that we still don't know about," Daniel tells her.

"Oh, well, should we go check it out?" Emily questions.

" _'We?'_ No, I'll go check it out. You go take a nap."

Emily rolls her eyes. "I just finished my suit and I'm the one who found this. Come on, let's do this. We'll even make a bet out of this - whoever wins gets the satisfaction of having the other recognize their scientific superiority."

Daniel sighs. "Alright fine. Let's set it up. Who's on whose team?"

They look at Angela and Xavier who have already run out of sight. The two of them are obviously not wanting to be a part of this.

-o-

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 11:42 AM_

Merida adjusts her bow as Daniel and Emily stand nearby, waiting for an answer. They already explained the reason for the mission which bored Merida. She only became interested when it was mentioned that they will be splitting into teams and she got to pick whose team to be on.

"I'm in," Merida states.

"Really?" Emily says surprised. Since Angela and Xavier bailed for whatever reasons, Emily thought Merida would leave as well.

"With him, not you," Merida tells her.

Emily narrows her eyes at Merida as Daniel cheers and rubs it in her face. A part of Emily had a feeling that Merida might pick her for sisterhood reasons but a sisterhood would be the reason she would pick Daniel over her.

She leaves Daniel and Merida as they start discussing a plan.

Emily walks down the hallways of SHIELD and stops when she sees the last person she could ask to join her team. She sighs, still debating with herself again on whether she should actually go through with this. Seeing no other options after the others bailed, she continues walking towards her last option.

"James!" Emily exclaims, sounding as positive as she could be. "How are you, my great friend? I was trying to look for you earlier but couldn't find you. You know, you were my first choice."

"After Angela, Xavier, and Merida," James replies.

Emily's gleeful expression just got slapped off her face. Instead of apologizing, she gives James a look.

"Seriously?" She questions. "Is that going to be a thing because - "

Emily cuts herself off when she sees James begin to laugh. She doesn't understand why since she just blew his ego, but joins in awkwardly. He playfully throws an arm over her shoulders and rocks her from side-to-side like a ship at sea.

"You're my dear friend, Emily Stark," James tells her. "And you have been for a very long time. We're both very much alike, you and I - rich, good-looking, and fun at parties."

He is definitely on her team.

-o-

 _Antarctica - 7:39 AM_

Emily and James arrive and stand in the laboratory's outdoor forum which in Antarctica means a room of snow and frost. The two of them look around. Despite the harsh chill, the actual building itself is in incredibly good shape.

"This is pretty nice for an abandoned place," James points out.

Emily suddenly looks at the ground and reads her scans with a shocking disgust. "I think I know why it's abandoned..."

Emily uses a fan on the hands of her suits and blows some snow away. Underneath the thick layer of snow is not what they expected to see. They see all the dead people - assumed scientists - with inverted bodies. All of their organs are spewed out as if they just exploded out of the body. Their features barely recognizable.

It's abandoned because everyone here died.

Emily scans all organs - or what's left of them to be present so they're not organ donors.

"Oh my god..." James mutters, quickly kicking some of the snow back in place to not look at the morbid sight he's currently stepping on.

"The nature of these wounds suggest that something burst out from the inside, but why make something like that?" Emily says.

-o-

Merida and Daniel arrive at a different sector of the laboratory, on the other side from where Emily and James are. They enter one of the experiment room and notices that out of all the stations they already passed, this is the only one with the lights still on. That was the reason they entered this room and not the others. Looking around, they see papers and notice that it's titled: 'Subcategory - The Hulk'.

Daniel backs away without another thought. Anything involving his Hulk is territory he never wants to trek. Merida's eyes linger on those sheets for longer before looking over her shoulder to face Daniel and look at what else this room has to offer.

"And what do we have here?" Merida questions, pulling out an oxygen mask from a storage container. She wonders why there is one in here and places it on the counter. "Some scientists tampering around with gamma radiation? What copycats."

Daniel still hasn't said anything. Merida spins on her heel and continues to look around. She sees a flashing light catch her eyes. Merida takes a step closer and the flashing lights stop. Merida backs away as a laboratory refrigerator nearby Daniel opens. He slowly approaches it to take a look at its contents. Daniel holds his gloved hand out to pick it up, refrigeration mist hitting his face.

 _'Warning! Oxygen is now contaminated!'_

It suddenly hits Daniel that the mist from the refrigerator is the contamination and he's already inhaled it. He quickly turns around and whips the oxygen mask Merida took out earlier onto her face. Merida struggles, wanting to give it to him instead since it was already too late to give him the mask. Daniel and Merida's hooded snowsuits were SHIELD-certified snow gear that was crafted to survive the coldest temperatures, not unknown radioactive diseases. With an expected strength from Daniel, he shoves her outside of the lab and she hits the floor. The moment Merida gets up, she finds herself slamming her fists on a door that's sealed shut.

"Daniel!" Merida screams.

"Get out of here!" Daniel yells at her.

Merida looks at how dark Daniel's face has become and it is unsettling. She backs away and nods before turning around and running.

"Stark, James!" Merida yells into her earpiece. "I need your location, stat!"

-o-

From where they are, Emily and James hear the same sound of static mixed with Merida screaming over their coms before deciding to go inside. Before they could trek across the bodies, Merida bursts out. She immediately closes the door behind her and pants heavily as Emily and James wonder what the hell happened and where the hell is Daniel.

"Daniel swallowed a monster!" Merida exclaims.

Merida quickly ducks as Emily flies over her head, breaking through the closed doors to go get Daniel. Her suit could protect her from the contaminated oxygen. Knowing that the cold air will freeze away the pathogens, Merida removes the oxygen mask from her head and gives it to James.

"Get in there and find whatever you can on this place," Merida orders him. "I'll get our quinjet and we're getting out of here."

James puts on the mask which he quickly shrinks down so it'll fit him when he shrinks down as well. As he flies inside, Merida turns to run and she unexpectedly trips, arrows falling out of her quiver and into the snow. She reaches into the snow to pick up an arrow and sees her hand gripping on a human wrist.

Merida immediately throws it to the side and that's when she sees that she's lying on top of multiple human corpses. Her own body is shaking as she looks at all the exploded bodies with their organs outside of their skin. She then makes the connection to the experiment that contaminated the air and Daniel getting infected.

What if this were to happen to him?

 _James: Our lovely friend, Sergei, who by the looks of this entry and exit log isn't missing because he left here hours before we showed up._ _Stark, send an urgent mission message to Angela and Xavier. Tell them to track down Sergei. They should know how. Stark, do you copy?!_

There's no immediate answer.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will happen to Daniel? What is Sergei up to?**


	50. Symbiosis Part Two

**It just hit me that I'm already at fifty chapters. Doing daily updates really causes you to lose track on your own story.**

 ** _Recap_ \- A trip to a morbid laboratory in Antarctica results in Daniel being infected with a virus they were working on. Meanwhile, Angela and Xavier are now in pursuit to capture their old friend, Sergei.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty: Symbiosis Part Two

 _Antarctica - 8:14 AM_

Emily flies through the building, following a blueprint that Jarvis has laid out for her in the corner of her faceplate. Her mind is in such a frenzy - her fiancé is infected with some unknown virus, she has to send mission details to Angela and Xavier, and now she's hearing some static in her ear which is probably Merida asking if she copies.

"I copy, I copy!" Emily screams back.

Even though she has the directions of where in the building to go, Emily still makes turns that are too strong that the walls graze her arms or she hits her head. She curses aloud since she doesn't really care as to who hears. If anything, Daniel could hear it and have a beacon of hope that someone is getting him.

"Jarvis, do what Merida said to send to Angela and Xavier," she orders.

Jarvis sends the mission to get Sergei to the twins. Emily picks up speed and nearly passes the lab. As she looks inside, her scans are picking up the contamination and giving her the analytics as one big chemical formula that she will actually need time to read over and understand.

"Jarvis, clear the air and open this now," Emily orders.

Once the door opens, Emily hovers in and sees Daniel sitting against the wall. He's coughing and sweating. She reads his vitals and sees that they're dropping but he has a rising fever. Before she deals with him, Emily looks at the countertop workspace and sees the papers explaining the experiment. Instead if opening her suit to insert them like a file to its folder and risk getting contaminated, she scans them.

"Hey, babe," Emily says as she helps him up and eventually picks him up. "Don't you dare resist because you're getting out of here with me."

Daniel doesn't respond which Emily tries not to make the worse of. Either Daniel is too sick to talk or he would much rather be with his fiancé than Merida which is why he forced he out. Her optimism leans towards the latter.

"Don't blow up on me!" Emily exclaims as she begins flying out at top speed with him in her arms.

"How am I supposed to blow up with you yakking in my ear?" Daniel mutters back.

"Humor. That's a good sign. Bless you for maintaining a sardonic sense of humor during a time of crisis."

-o-

 _Above Birdsville, Australia - 6:34 AM_

Angela and Xavier are on a separate jet, following a lead that SHIELD had on Sergei. Out of the entire team, Merida was the only one who has seen Sergei in person. But thanks to that aforementioned lead SHIELD had, they were able to capture a horrible quality photo that has been enhanced with use of their technology. Once Angela and Xavier's quinjet receive the photo, they pull it up and are surprised.

" _That's_ our target?" Angela questions, not really impressed with this man being their match.

He was a man you would typically see on those shows about millionaires and their million-dollar properties. Based on what Merida said, he's pretty naïve when it came to strategy so it should be easy to get to him once his brigade of personal soldiers is gone.

"This'll be quick..." Xavier mutters as he gets in connection with the rest of his team. "Someone talk to me, what's the problem?"

 _Emily: Daniel's swallowed a monster!_

Angela and Xavier don't really know what they just heard. Little do they know that when Merida was describing to the one in Antarctica what happened to Daniel, she used the same words. What the twins get out of that odd statement is that Daniel is the one who's in trouble but they're just not sure about why or how he's in trouble.

"Isn't that what he does best?" Angela guesses. "Scratch that, we're on Sergei's trail. He was easy to follow since he's on a unauthorized takeoff towards Birdsville, Australia."

-o-

 _Quinjet - 8:47 AM_

Emily and Daniel zip through the hallways of the laboratory. Emily struggles to keep focus on the readings of Daniel's vitals on one end of her faceplate all while follow the blueprint for the route out of here that's on the other side. Lucky for her, Daniel's alive enough to tell her when they're about to crash into a wall by coughing for an unhealthy and solid five minutes.

"Behind you!" James exclaims as he approaches Emily. He flies above her, picking up speed until he's in front of her. "Watch his vitals and just follow me!"

Emily nods as she gets Jarvis to close the blueprints of this place. She watches Daniel's body temperature and pulse. The numbers keep on flickering which makes Emily incredibly nervous.

James blasts at an approaching window and flies through. Merida, flying the quinjet, is outfront with their quinjet hangar door open. The moment all of them fly in, Merida closes the hangar door and starts flying. She puts the quinjet on autopilot as she unbuckles and runs over to them.

James grows to his normal size and tears off his SHIELD snowsuit. He immediately opens one of the arm panels from Emily's suit and starts connecting wires to it just to get a look at the experiment that plagued Daniel with use of the quinjet's holographic features. Emily puts Daniel in one of the seats and disassembles her suit as Merida gets all the first aid essentials that may be necessary.

-o-

 _Above Birdsville, Australia - 6:52 AM_

Angela and Xavier spot the jet and hover nearby, changing their controls and connecting their system to Sergei's.

"0-130537 victor, this is the by the order of the SHIELD quinjet parked on your 3," Xavier tells Sergei. "You are ordered to turn to a heading of zero-niner-zero and drop your landing gear. Right now."

The two of them are expecting a response but there's nothing. Angela double checks the connection and it's working fine.

"No response," Angela says.

"Plan B." Xavier says as he unbuckles his seatbelt.

"What's - ?" Angela starts before getting cut off by Sergei's jet firing at them.

Sirens inside the quinjet start blaring as Angela grips the controls and starts firing back. Xavier grabs his shield and straps it onto his back. Angela quickly turns the jet around to avoid getting blown out of the sky, but it only gets worse.

 _'Severe damages in engine. Land the quinjet now or face automatic landing.'_

"No, no, no!" Angela exclaims, trying to override it but the system won't let her. "I have to set her down!"

"Give me about thirty more seconds," Xavier says.

"For what?"

"Plan B."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Daniel end up with his organs spewed out? Will Angela and Xavier capture Sergei or fall out of the sky?**


	51. Symbiosis Part Three

**_Recap_ \- The team has left Antarctica while Angela and Xavier are being fired at by Sergei's jet.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-One: Symbiosis Part Three

 _Above Birdsville, Australia - 6:55 AM_

"I have an idea but you have to promise to be back," Xavier tells her.

"Of course," Angela replies.

Angela listens to what Xavier says. She flies above Sergei's jet and opens the hangar door. Xavier jumps out without a parachute and lands on Sergei's jet. Angela takes a shaky breath as she closes the door and is left alone with the controls system telling her to get out of the air and fix the problem. She says a silent prayer to whoever is listening to keep Xavier safe from this plan that seems as if it has more problems than solutions.

Xavier, from the exterior of Sergei's jet, watches Angela's quinjet fly off until he can't see it anymore. Then he feels a hand yank his wrist and he groans, thrashing his feet as his back hits the jet. He feels himself being hauled up and he struggles for any traction. Before he could strike a punch, he feels himself getting thrown inside the jet. Xavier looks up from the ground and sees Sergei coming down from the staircase.

"How far are you?" Xavier whispers to Angela in his earpiece, lowering his head so Sergei doesn't see him speaking.

 _Angela: Still pretty far! I can't make any repairs in the air nor in the time the quinjet gave me before it automatically lands. I have to set her down._

-o-

 _Quinjet - 9:54 AM_

Daniel groans as he rolls onto his side and hunches into a ball to make his body feel as if it's one piece when it really feel like exploding into many pieces. The quinjet ride is taking a whike because not only are they coming from the Antarctic but a sudden snow storm is blowing against them, slowing them down.

"I feel like vomiting but I don't want to throw up my heart," Daniel grumbles. "Someone tell me what the hell is in my body."

James, with Emily's help, go through the scans Emily got in her suit about the experiment. Once they read through it, both of them freeze. Neither of them want to tell Daniel what they just read and he doesn't have the energy to ask again.

"To be optimistic," James ironically says with a pessimistic tone, "your body isn't going to burst open."

"What the hell?!" Merida exclaims from the pilot's seat. "You and I saw all those dead bodies with their organs ready to harvest."

"This experiment wasn't made for them. The virus that's in Daniel's body is searching for something and since it couldn't find it in those scientists' bodies, it just - " James makes an expolsion gesture with his hands as a way to show the tragic demise of all those scientists.

Daniel huffs. "It's looking for gamma, isn't it?"

James and Emily nod as Daniel groans and Merida accelerates the quinjet out of the storm.

-o-

 _Above Birdsville, Australia - 7:00 AM_

Xavier gets forced onto his feet by one of Sergei's men and is forced to face him. In the spur of the moment, he's trying to think of the best way to get him to surrender when he's on his jet. Speaking rationally, Xavier's on Sergei's jet so he doesn't have the right to surrender and he obviously has more control. But he believes in himself. He could do this in just enough time for Angela to get back. He just needs to play his cards right.

"Hello," Xavier says to Sergei and his men.

"Captain America's son!" Sergei exclaims in a welcoming manner which Xavier didn't expect. "It is an honor to meet you, it really is. I mean, you are an exact replica of your father, even without the shield. I see that the Super Soldier Serum has been passed on to you. Does that mean your offspring will be enhanced as well or is that a question too personal for you?"

Sergei waits for a response which Xavier doesn't have because he expected to talk about being taken in, not about his future children. Forget about having a strategy because Xavier doesn't know how to respond to that weird question which made him a bit uncomfortable.

"Surrender now," Xavier states, getting straight to the point.

Sergei shakes his head with a growing grin on his face. "This is my plane so I'll save you the time. Show yourself out and try to survive the fall. Your twin isn't here to give you a ride back."

"You're right, you really are. I wouldn't survive the fall. Even my old man wouldn't and we're talking about the man who jumps from planes without parachutes for fun. My team will always have my back."

"That is where you are wrong, Xavier." Sergei takes a step closer to him. "You are being betrayed. You all are. Daniel is just the first one to go. Which one of you will be next?"

Xavier is about to attack Sergei but stops when Sergei pulls something out of his pocket. Strategies start running in his mind once he sees that the item Sergei's holding is a grenade without the key in it. With seconds on the clock and Xavier knowinf that Sergei is including himself on this explosion, Xavier pulls his shield over his face just as the bomb goes off.

Xavier suddenly feels a gigantic force blow him back, blurring his vision. He feels himself spinning in the air due to the impact of the explosion. He sees the plane in flames as debris falls, slowly getting smaller and smaller in his eyes.

Then he realizes that he's free-falling with no parachute or Angela in sight.

-o-

 _Quinjet - 10:02 AM_

"Why make something like this?" Emily asks, her voice shaky. "What's the point of this gamma-locating virus?"

"I don't know," James replies. "These papers only contain the procedure of how to make and administer it. There is no purpose or objective, it's just - !" More incomprehensible hand motions.

"I get it!" Daniel grunts sharply, holding his side. Everyone looks at him to explain. "Instead of my organs bursting out, this virus will find the gamma gene in my body and act as a catalyst to get the Hulk out. That's what my body feel like except a thousand times worse."

"So this is something like another round of MojoWorld?" Merida asks since Mojo's technology also had a gadget that let out the hulk from Daniel's body.

Daniel laughs a little but not because he finds it funny, but because this all makes sense to him now. The others are a bit alarmed at this psychotic reaction considering that he's on the floor in complete pain.

"Oh no," Daniel says with his laugh still present, "Mojo was being nice and all with his little painless darts so the Hulk could make a little appearance here and there when needed. That was _great_ , just quality entertainment. This virus that's inside me right now actually feels like it will kill me."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will Daniel do about this plan that was supposedly targeted for him? Will Angela make it back in time to save her twin?**


	52. Symbiosis Part Four

**Okay, so, as of right now, I have all the chapters for this summer done and I am absolutely happy with where I decided to leave it off. Don't worry, it's still a long time for you guys.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Xavier was on Sergei's plane before it blew up while the others learned that what infected Daniel was specifically targeted for him.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Two: Symbiosis Part Four

 _Above Birdsville, Australia - 7:16 AM_

Angela looks at the sky ahead of her from the pilot's seat of her quinjet. She has a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that Xavier is in trouble. It's been there since she flew off but now it's worse than ever. She takes a breath before making the choice to force her troubled vehicle down like her father did during the war, abandon the quinjet completely, go save Xavier. Lucky for her she's flying over the middle of nowhere.

Angela unbuckles her seatbelt and gets up. She straps on a jetpack and kicks open the passenger window with all her might. The overwhelming wind-pressure entering the quinjet blows her back; but as she flies, she props herself on the wall with her knees bent and starts her jetpack. Air is notoriously uncooperative when it comes to breaking through the airlock of the quinjet. Angela soars out the window and hears her quinjet crash and explode behind her. She quickly makes a mental reminder to get a SHIELD team to take care of that.

Angela flies higher in the sky and increases her speed. She looks up and sees her brother falling from above. Angela holds out her hands and grasps Xavier's arms. The impact of catching him causes the two of them to spin mid-air. Once they've stopped spinning, Angela hears Xavier speak which brings a relieved smile to her face.

"That was close," Xavier says.

"How'd you know I'd make it in time?" Angela asks.

"Twin telepathy."

"What happened with Sergei?"

Xavier sighs disappointedly. "Blew up his jet and took himself with it."

Angela says nothing and neither does Xavier. If there was one person who they could interrogate about the experiment and laboratory in Antarctica, even if he was only the financier. He would've had to have at least the most basic idea of what was going on because as of right now, they're left in the dark.

"Angela," Xavier starts, "Sergei said that we were being betrayed and Daniel is just the first one to go."

"He was probably just getting in your head as a part of those _famous last words_."

Xavier shrugs, remembering his other teammates and needing a ride back since he doesn't want Angela carrying him across the world. He honors loyalty so any betrayal will feel worse than getting blown out of that plane.

"Barton," Xavier says in his earpiece, "where are you?"

-o-

 _Quinjet - 10:22 AM_

"Kind of busy to check right now!" Merida yells back into her earpiece after hearing Xavier. "Give me five."

Daniel grunts in a cramping pain, resisting his transformation. Even though he knows that his organs won't burst our of his body, it severly feels like that. He tries rolling on his sides to see which is better but nothing works. It's at least better than sitting up because doing that makes him dizzy and nauseous. Emily and James, even with their combined intellect, have no idea what to do.

"We're over the South Pacific ocean!" Merida yells into her earpiece to Xavier. "Heading for SHIELD."

 _Xavier: Copy that._

"Maybe we should knock him out with an icer," Emily suggests as she holds Daniel's arm.

"That'll make it worse," James replies.

Daniel scream again, trying his hardest not to cry and failing at that. Instead, he copes with the pain by swearing like a sailor at full volume which surprises everyone.

"Worse than _this_?" Emily yells. "I didn't think Daniel knew those words!"

James shrugs even though Emily knows that he's right. Daniel already has a virus in him so mixing some knock-out formula in his system will not make it better.

"Open the hangar and let me out," Daniel pants to Merida. "I can't hold the Hulk in any longer."

"No!" Emily exclaims. "Merida, don't you dare!"

"Stark, we're above the ocean," James tries to reason, "it's better than Daniel landing on the mountains."

"All of you are talking nonsense!" Emily yells. "Especially you, Daniel!"

Daniel groans and rolls his eyes at her. "Sorry, dear, kind of dying!"

Emily frowns at him. "I hate you right now!"

"I hate me too!"

Emily has nothing left to say but there is no way in hell Daniel's going to jump into the ocean to turn into his Hulk. Daniel and James give each other a silent look, then Merida turns over from the pilot's seat and gives Daniel and James the same look. Emily straightens her shoulders, wondering what their sudden silence glances are about. It takes her longer than it should for her to realize that they're formulating how they're going to do this without words.

In one motion, James leaps on top of Emily and pins her arms and legs down with his own off to the side. She tries to wrangle herself free as Merida opens the hangar door. Daniel forces himself onto his feet and feels the wind from outside blow against him which blocks out Emily's screams and relaxes him as he jumps right out of the quinjet.

-o-

 _Merida: Angela! Xavier! Daniel just jumped out because he felt as if he was going to transform en route! How far are you?_

Angela and Xavier look ahead and see a quinjet in the distance slowly becoming bigger the closer they get. They notice the hangar door open and someone come out of it.

"We see him!" Angela exclaims.

"Angela, throw me!" Xavier says.

Angela accelerates her speed to build up energy to increase the distance at which Xavier will be thrown so it would be as close to Daniel as possible. She adjusts her grip on Xavier's triceps as she winds him back and launches him, causing her to spin back as well. Angela stays in the air, watching it all take place as she flies toward the quinjet.

Xavier dives in the water and swims up to the surface. He swims for a little, calling Daniel's name and that's when he remembers that Merida said that Daniel jumped out because he felt like he was going to transform. Xavier treads water feeling uneasy about what would happen if he was alone in the ocean with a Hulk. He looks down at the water, wondering what is swimming up to him and he swims back, keeping his eyes on what is down there coming closer to him.

Daniel pops out, gasping for air and fixing the glasses that miraculously stayed on his face. He looks at Xavier and calms down a little.

"Aren't you supposed to be The Hulk?" Xavier asks.

Daniel looks at his hands and realizes that he's not big and green.

"That's what I thought..." Daniel mutters.

A roaring figure suddenly bursts out of the water, sending Xavier and Daniel drifting in a sudden wave. The two of them look and are face-to-face with Daniel's Hulk.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- So Daniel and his hulk are now separated...will the team be able to figure this out or will they need some outside reinforcements?**


	53. Symbiosis Part Five

**_Recap_ \- After Daniel jumped out of the quinjet expecting to turn into The Hulk, he actually saw his Hulk pop out of the water beside him.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Three: Symbiosis Part Five

 _South Pacific Ocean - 10:49 AM_

Many people say that the best way to conquer your worst fear is to go out there and face it. Those are the same people whose worst fears are something that you could actually see or do in person. Daniel's greatest fear for his entire life has been his Hulk and he's only transformed into it five times, not counting this moment because he still isn't sure what _exactly_ happened.

He didn't exactly transform but he is still seeing his Hulk.

He's face-to-face with his Hulk. It shouldn't be that frightening for him since it's _his_ Hulk, but Daniel finds this to be much more terrifying especially since he has no idea how this is even possible.

The Hulk looks at Daniel with narrowed eyes. Does he recognize him or just doesn't want him to be around? Daniel can't blame The Hulk since he doesn't want to be here either.

"What the fuck?!" Daniel screams, swallowing some ocean water and not bothering to spit it out.

Immediately, Daniel turns around and starts swimming in the other direction. Xavier does the same, but on his back so he could keep his eyes on the Hulk and so Daniel can swim faster. The Hulk roars again and starts thrashing in the water as it starts to catch up to them. Xavier tries to think of a plan on the spot but is coming to a blank. There is nothing around them but the ocean.

From above, Angela looks down and sees that the boys need help. She quickly turns and begins spiraling down towards them. Once she's a few feet above the water, she freezes at the sight of Daniel and his Hulk as two separate beings. In response, she pulls out her gun and begins firing at the Hulk to distract him and increase the distance between it and Xavier and Daniel. Once she hears her empty gun click, she whips it over the Hulk's head. When the Hulk turns around to see where the gun went, Angela grabs one arm from Daniel and another from Xavier and pulls them out to go back to the quinjet.

Once the three of them land on the quinjet, Merida closes the hangar door. James takes a peek out the window and is just as stunned.

"What do we do about the Hulk?" James asks.

"Pray it doesn't cause trouble," Angela says optimistically.

"Babe," Emily says, wrapping Daniel in a towel and holding his shaking body close. "Babe, tell me you feel okay."

"I can't breathe..." Daniel mutters, feeling faint.

James quickly straps one of the quinjet's oxygen masks on Daniel's face as he passes out on Emily's lap.

-o-

 _Location Classified - 19:13 PM_

Once they all returned back to SHIELD Headquarters, Daniel was immediately brought to SHIELD's Recovery Center accompanied by Emily. The others knew that they were going to be debriefed by the Council. Lucky for them, they rehearsed it. They reconstructed their mission in a way that would make the most sense without mentioning Daniel and his Hulk's separation. If the Council never mentions it, then they would never get caught lying in the first place.

 _Council: Do relay your self-given mission._

Angela clears her throat. While creating their alibi, they decided that Angela and Xavier would do the talking (despite them being the _worst_ liars) since Merida would give attitude and not being taken seriously, and James would make some sort of joke and also not be taken seriously. And if the two of them were not to do any of those, the Council would catch on.

"Stark found an article about a laboratory in Antarctica that was financially supported by Sergei Sorokin who apparently went missing," Angela starts. "Our team split: I took Stark and Agents Barton and Pym down to Antarctica. While there, we found a lead on Sorokin's whereabouts and sent the details to Captain Rogers and Agent Banner."

The Council now looks at Xavier to start explaining his half of the story since Daniel isn't present. As he examines the members of the Council, he can't tell if they believe the story or are just going along with their fiction it comes back to bite them.

"Agent Banner and I followed the lead to Australia where we encountered an arial battle with Sorokin's jet," Xavier continues. "We were faced with a situation in which I had to set the quinjet down. I placed Daniel on Sergei's plane so he could get a surrender from him but that did not go in our favors since Sergei blew up his own jet and took his life so I had to crash our own quinjet to go save Daniel whom I caught midair where he passed out from the explosion."

The Council deliberates amongst each other. The team thinks that their story is solid and perfectly explains why Daniel would be unconscious.

 _Council: Agent Pym, why do you have a scratch on the side of your neck?_

James tenses up, not expecting to be asked anything. The hairs on his neck creep up as he reaches up to tracd the scratch with his fingers. For a moment, he doesn't remember where got that scratch from but then he laughs nervously with a small smile.

"Stark's got sharp nails," James replies. He got the scratch from when Emily was fighting against his grip on the quinjet.

-o-

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 19:15 PM_

Emily sits next to Daniel, holding his hand as he inhales and exhales slowly. His vitals seem to be stable and normal considering what just happened with him and his Hulk separating. When SHIELD doctor and nurses asked what happened for the medical reports and she gives them the same story her friends told the Council. They have to keep the stories consistent so SHIELD doesn't catch on.

Emily continues reviewing the documents from Antarctica and still doesn't understand how this was meant to kill Daniel if he's still here breathing. She also can't wrap her head around this whole experiment since its science is too complicated for her which is saying something. Her university professors could never stump her but this paperwork takes the cake.

Then, Emily jumps a little at the sound of an alert coming from one of her friend's left behind tablets. She stands up and goes to view it. It shows footage of a rampage Hulk in Egypt.

Emily bites on her bottom lip. She knows that she should tell some SHIELD authorities about this since her friends are in a classified debriefing and how she should go check it out but SHIELD will only respond with, _'No. You'll fuck it up and die.'_ (With those exact words as well). So Emily decides to go check it out.

Daniel is here unconscious and there are many doctors and nurses checking on his ever so often so he'll be fine. Emily gives Daniel a quick kiss on the forehead as she runs out to deal with it.

-o-

 _Luxor, Egypt - 4:36 AM_

Emily runs down the streets of Luxor following the trail of destruction ahead of her. She regrets not telling her friends, sneaking out, stealing a quinjet to get here, and not bringing any powerful weapons once she realizes how scared she is. She isn't even in a proper SHIELD uniform, she's wearing a short white shirt with sleeves going halfway down her arm with three black stripes on the arms, jeans, and ballet flats. Thin and not Hulk-proof. Emily sprints until she sees the green beast. She pauses. Emily takes a few steps before the monster notices her presence.

"Hey, Big Guy," Emily states. "It's me, Emily. This probably isn't what we should be doing right now, am I right?"

The monster stares at her, full of rage. She has to pick her words carefully, and delicately.

"You're not yourself. You don't have that little conscious inside of you keeping some control. That little conscious is Daniel."

The Hulk roars and picks up a car that seems as if it'll be hurled at her. It's almost as if saying his name is taboo.

Emily takes a step back. She's his fiancée and now he sees her like this - like a threat. However, she forgives him because she loves him with all of her heart and like she said, his conscious isn't in there right now. Besides, if she had a virus that reenacted evolution in her body, she'd be pretty pissed too.

"C'mon, Daniel..." She mutters with hope in her trembling voice.

-o-

 _Location Classified - 19:27 PM_

 _Council: Any final remarks?_

They all shake their heads as a collective negative response.

 _Council: Are you sure?_

Nobody shakes their heads. If they're being asked to verify their answer, the Council is definitely on to them and their lies. They all just nod together.

The Council pulls up live video footage of a Hulk appearance in Egypt. The team knows in their gut that it's Daniel's Hulk but they make sure their faces are neutral to avoid showing anything.

"Daniel's here," Merida tells them. "He's in the Recovery Room. That's obviously his father."

 _Council: For what reasons would Dr. Banner be needing his Hulk in Egypt?_

"Better view of the pyramids?" Merida guesses sarcastically. "How are we supposed to know?"

* * *

 **If you are ever faced with problems, just do what Daniel did when he saw his Hulk - swim away and swear. I do the same thing just not the swimming part since - and I'm not kidding - I haven't gone swimming in years.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will happen in Egypt with Emily and Daniel's Hulk?**


	54. Symbiosis Part Six

**To the lovely _Guest_ who told me that the crew reminds them of the _6teen_ group, thank you for one of the best compliments ever since _6teen_ is one of my favorite cartoons ever (I still watch it till this day). Some chapters from Emily's story are actually based on some episodes.**

 ** _Recap_ \- after returning to SHIELD, the Council is asking the team about a Hulk appearance in Egypt which Emily has made an appearance at.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Four: Symbiosis Part Six

 _Luxor, Egypt - 4:43 AM_

Daniel's Hulk throws the car in Emily's direction. Emily's eyes widen in pure fear as she lunges forwards, throwing herself on the ground. She covers her head with her arms, keeping her face against the ground as she prepares for an explosion. To her surprise, she feels something soar over her from behind. Based on her prior knowledge of physics, a car being thrown from one way wouldn't somehow come from the other way. She could look at what happened but she's too scared to.

Emily takes a small peek up with one eye. She looks up and sees the back of the Hulk holding the car that was thrown. Emily's eyebrow wrinkles a bit in confusion since no physics could explain that. Then, the Hulk turns around and looks down at her. That's when she sees that it's not Daniel's Hulk in front of her but Bruce Banner's, Daniel's father.

From farther out, Daniel's Hulk roars loudly at the sight of Bruce's. Bruce's grunts as it ships the car back and lunges forwards. It grabs Daniel's face and throws it into a nearby truck.

Emily quickly gets up and turns around to run, but gets caught in someone grip on her shoulders. She screams a little but see that it's only Daniel's mom, Betty.

-o-

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 19:32 PM_

Lucky for the team, the Council seemed to have bought their somewhat make-believe story. They walk to Daniel's recovery room, all wondering what is happening in Egypt since they know that Daniel's Hulk is there. However, they all can't verbally discuss it since there are cameras and they don't know if the Council has any of the passing doctors or nurses listening in on them.

They walk into Daniel's recovery room and still see him unconscious with stable vitals. They notice Emily's absence but don't question on it since they assume she stepped out for a bathroom break or something.

Angela grabs her tablet and winks at her friends. One of them closes the door and the others all congregate in a circle to cover what they'll see on the tablet. Angela opens up the video of Egypt in which the Council gratefully gave them access to. They see Daniel's Hulk accompanied by Bruce's with Emily and Betty in the background.

"Well, shit," Merida says. If they can see this then the Council obviously has as well and now they've just been busted for lying on oath.

"Maybe Bruce can fix this," Xaver says.

They continue watching the video.

 _Bruce's Hulk sends a grand punch into Daniel's, sending him flying into a nearby building. As Bruce's Hulk stands there, waiting for a response, nothing comes._

"At least that problem is dealt with," James says. "Now, what are we going to do with an unconscious Hulk?"

Before anyone could answer, Daniel's heart rate monitor starts showing a flat line.

-o-

 _Luxor, Egypt - 4:59 AM_

"Betty, I have no clue how to explain what happened," Emily says to her rushed. "That's not Daniel in there. There is no Daniel in there. It was some experiment that someone else made and it resulted in Daniel and his hulk separating."

Betty nods. "Bruce and I are going to have to look over the specifics later. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any way to biologically separate two symbiotic organisms without harming either of them."

Emily shrugs since she couldn't understand it either.

"Where's Daniel?" Betty asks.

"SHIELD Recovery Room," Emily responds. "He fell unconscious after the separation. I think it was just shock."

-o-

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 19:33 PM_

"Shock!" Angela exclaims over the alarm of the heart monitor. "Someone get a defibrillator!"

The human brain can survive about seven minutes without oxygen. It's been only a minute and everyone is rushing for time.

James grabs the defibrillator and charges it as Merida tears open Daniel's hospital gown to reveal his bare chest. James warms up the clamps by rubbing them together.

"Clear!" James exclaims.

He administers the shock clamps on Daniel's chest. As they wait for a response from Daniel's body, James starts recharging the defibrillator for a round two if needed, hopefully it wouldn't be.

Everyone jumps a little at the sound of a roar. They all look and see that it's coming from the Hulk live stream in Egypt. Xavier goes to see what's happening.

 _Daniel's Hulk rises from the smoke and faces Bruce's Hulk. Instead of fighting back, Daniel's Hulk flees. Bruce's doesn't chase after it. He turns back to face Emily and Betty before shrinking back into Bruce._

"My head hurts..." Daniel mutters as his heart rate comes back to life.

Everyone else in the recovery room alternates their view from the video and Daniel. Him and his Hulk came back into the world at the same time. That was no coincidence.

-o-

Daniel is now wide awake, aware that Emily and his parents are back from Egypt even though he didn't know they left. He isn't sure who's talking or if they're alternating, but he doesn't really care. His Hulk is out of his body and he should be thrilled since his worst fear is gone but he feels like crap. His friends are still talking while his parents are with the Council and he tries to force himself to listen but the words about his Hulk's actions and what happened are all just a constant buzz for him since he doesn't want to since he doesn't like what they're saying. All he really understands are one of the last statements.

"Cardiac arrest?" Daniel repeats. It takes him a while to process that his heart actually stopped. "What the hell? I don't understand how that could've happened."

"I'm pretty sure we've been saying _'we don't understand'_ all day," James says.

"You're being no help right now," Angela tells James even though he knows that.

"You're a crack-baby!" Merida randomly exclaims.

Everyone gives her a weird look for that odd statement, needing an explanation for what that is supposed to mean.

"A crack baby," Merida repeats which does nothing to her friends' comprehension. "Mothers who are drug addicts during their pregnancies will give birth to addict - or crack babies. The thing is, nobody gives the newborns the drugs they need and since their bodies are dependent on it, they will endlessly wail for it as it goes through withdrawal. Come on, I can't be the only one who's watched those videos online."

"I worry about you," Xavier says meaningfully.

"But she scarily makes sense," Angela says. "Think about it, Daniel's body is somehow unable to function without his Hulk just as his Hulk is unable to function without him."

"I hate all this," Daniel mumbles bitterly.

"How about genetic engineering?" James suggests to Daniel. "We could modify your chromosomes to adapt to living without your Hulk."

Daniel groans. "That takes forever."

"Well, do you have any ideas?"

"Making a cure isn't like making ramen noodles!" Daniel suddenly screams which spikes his heart rate. He takes a breath to calm down. "Okay? This is complicated! God, this only solution I have is that if I die, the Hulk dies too."

Emily holds up a hand to slap him but stops herself by making her hand into a fist and lowering it. "I swear, if we were married and you said those words them we'd be getting a divorce."

Daniel huffs at her. "You're being irrational!"

"You're the one who just suggested a suicide plan! You can't just wrap your head around not living. You can't actually believe that you're not going to be alive."

"I have a very powerful brain."

"I will kick you in your _oh-so-powerful_ brain. Don't talk to me unless you have a real plan!"

Emily storms out of the recovery room. Daniel just looks up and slumps into his bedsheets. He looks at the others who are giving him the same _'your suicide plan is garbage and we're not going to let that happen'_ look as Emily just without the anger. He doesn't even have to think to know that his parents would have the same face if he said those words to him.

"Do any of you have a plan?" Daniel asks the rest of them.

Sadly, nobody does.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Daniel be able to come up with a plan or will his Hulk make another appearance?**


	55. Symbiosis Part Seven

**If you think about it, Daniel's novella is called _Antibiosis_ and this story arc is called _Symbiosis_. The two are antonyms and I think that's symbolic.**

 ** _Recap_ \- after a Hulk-to-Hulk fight in Egypt resulting in a disappearing Hulk, Daniel realizes that maybe he needs his Hulk in his body in order to survive.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five: Symbiosis Part Seven

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 20:05 PM_

After talking with the Council, Bruce and Betty join the team and that's when they take a look at the experiment's layout that they got from the Antarctic lab. Both of them mutter to one another as Angela, Xavier, James, and Merida standby. The shocked and stunned expressions coming from the scientists as they read through it don't help in any way whatsoever.

"This project is incredibly advanced," Bruce states, running a stressed hand through his hair. "It's way beyond our time."

"How could someone have created this?" Betty asks. "Scientifically, yes, it does make sense but I would've never been able to put this together."

"Me neither."

Merida steps in. "Maybe Daniel is a gamma baby." The two of them look at her strangely. "You know, like a crack baby but not crack."

Bruce and Betty look at one another, repeating the words 'crack baby' with wrinkled and confused expressions. For a moment, Merida thinks that they're judging her for coming up with a ridiculous theory but Bruce and Betty keep talking about it.

"Bruce, that makes sense," Betty says.

"It does," Bruce replies. "Crack babies have been given crack since their conception and since they were still a developing embryo at the time, it adapts to whatever environment is provided for them in the womb."

"Daniel inherited the gamma gene from you so when he was conceived, his body must have just assumed that it was essential."

"Apparently it is essential."

"This isn't some case where we could provide supplements, we need his actual, physical Hulk back in his body."

"How do you think we do that?" James asks.

Bruce and Betty have no answers.

"First off, we don't have Daniel's Hulk," Angela says. "We don't even have trackers to follow it around and meet it somewhere. We have to wait for a lead and hope it's still there when we arrive."

"So you're saying that it's possible for Daniel's Hulk to merge back with him?" Xavier asks the scientists. "Even if Daniel doesn't like the idea of it?"

"If they're able to separate to begin with, then merging them back should be possible," Bruce says. "It's like facilitated diffusion - Daniel's body being selectively permeable. If it knows that it needs the Hulk then it should just accept one another. We just need a boost of some sort to biochemically allow it to happen."

-o-

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 20:10 PM_

Daniel types away on a laptop that's semi-hidden underneath his bedsheets. He isn't allowed to have one since he's considered to be _'healing'_ but he was able to persuade one of the nurses to let him have one. As he browses through the Internet, articles about his Hulk rampaging through Egypt. There are no articles that mention Emily's presence which was good for him since he didn't want to read about throwing a car at her. Speaking about Emily, she's still not talking to him. It has nothing to do with Egypt but with this whole situation in general. He understands what she's feeling because if she was in his position, he would be pissed as well.

"Why are you working?"

Daniel looks up and sees that his mother has walked in. As he shrugs as a response, Betty leans over the bed to hug him tightly. Daniel knows that his mom isn't saying anything because she knows that he doesn't want to talk about this. But to his own surprise, he does want to talk about this.

"Mom, what the hell can I do about all this?" Daniel asks her. "It's almost as if I'm missing half of my brain. Instead of hearing the Hulk's voice haunting me, there's nothing. As sadistic as it may sound, I miss being spooked because it meant that I'm alive."

Betty smiles a little, rubbing his shoulder.

"Emily told me about your plan and I know that you want to not care because you're deeply terrified but believe me, you need this. I don't want to hear you say that ending your life is the only option because it sure as hell isn't. Daniel, when you turned into your Hulk as a teenager, it pained me to have to see you recover when such an event traumatized you the way it did. But after that, Emily became your girlfriend. Then after graduation, your fiancée. Wait until after this and she'll be your wife."

Daniel knows that his mother is being optimistic since no parent wants to picture their child dead. However, he believes that his mother has other reasons for her words.

"What's your point?" Daniel asks her.

"If basic science anything to live by, you should've been dead the moment you and your Hulk separated. How much longer you have left depends on your cells because right now, they're in charge and you're just following absentmindedly. Everything in your body is deciding your future. You just need to make an impact on it."

Daniel tries to respond but is cut short when his mother holds a finger in her mouth, silencing him. She waves her hands downwards with piercing eyes. Daniel quickly closes his laptop and slides it under his pillow as he pretends to be asleep.

Betty turns around as a SHIELD official representing the Council walks in.

"The Council wants Daniel to be taken into custody due to current events," The Official tells her.

"You're going to have to come back later," Betty replies. "Possibly tomorrow. He's had a long day."

The Official nods before walking out. Leaving the door ajar, Betty walks over to Daniel and kisses his head.

"I'll see you soon," she whispers to him.

Daniel hears his mother walking out, closing the door behind her. That's when he wakes up and takes out his laptop again. He closes any article about Egypt and opens up the scans of the virus that caused all this to better study it. He has to come up with a way to solve this before SHIELD comes back to detain him or worse, he dies.

-o-

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 8:09 AM_

As for the rest of the team, they spent the night at SHIELD, sleeping on their quinjet. Their sleep wasn't as good as they hoped with the lingering thoughts of Daniel and his estranged Hulk as well as the Council being mad at them for not being honest under oath. They're going to have to face punishment for their perjury which they accepted way before they even created their lie after this whole problem is swept clean.

They wake up with the sound of an alert. Xavier goes to check it and wakes up his team when he sees that it's a Hulk spotting.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will SHIELD do with Daniel? And how will the team stop a Hulk without potentially harming Daniel?**


	56. Symbiosis Part Eight

**_Recap_ \- SHIELD wants to take Daniel into custody just as the rest of the team goes to put a stop to the Hulk.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Six: Symbiosis Part Eight

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 8:28 AM_

Daniel sits on his laptop again. He has been up for most of the night with a possible and brand new idea for how to solve this problem. The only obstacles in his way are that he doesn't have access to anything he needs, SHIELD wants him in their custody, and he gets a message that his team is heading to the Hulk spotting.

Daniel curses to himself. He knows that his friends will definitely get killed since they will not go to the extent of their abilities for his own sake.

Then he gets a message from SHIELD Officials that they're coming to get him this instance.

"Fuck!" Daniel accidentally yells aloud.

He isn't done his plan. He needs more time and the right resources. If he tries to tell SHIELD that he knows what to do, they will not believe him and he wouldn't blame them. He doesn't believe what he came up with either.

Daniel quickly downloads what he has on a USB, disconnects himself from the IV, and jumps off his bed. He falls to the floor since this is his first time on his feet in days. He quickly walks out of the room and sees the SHIELD Officials coming for him, so he just goes the other way

"Agent Banner, you're coming with us," they tell him.

"I know," he says, "and I will not argue. Could you just let me talk to Emily first?"

"Five minutes."

Daniel thanks them as he turns around and runs to find Emily. He eventually finds her but it took him two-and-a-half of those five minutes to find her, giving him less time to talk to her. She's only seen him for five seconds and is already frowning at him.

"If you don't have a plan then I'm not talking to you," Emily firmly states.

"Emily, please," he begs. "I need more time."

"Then why the hell are you coming to me if you need more time? You're just wasting what you have."

"You know what? I get it. You don't want to talk to me and that's fine. I have nothing to say to you either. I came for something else."

Emily straightens up. "I don't care what you - !"

Daniel approaches her in a single stride, his hands suddenly buried in her hair as he presses her against the wall. His mouth stifles her surprised cry and angry scream. She tries to shove him off her but he holds her tightly. Daniel's grip is firm and gentle but the kiss itself is nothing like that. It's aggressive and demanding. She wants to hate it but she loves it.

Emily's eyes go wide as she feels Daniel's tongue and in the flash of a second, she feels something else in her mouth during this kiss. Something metal and rectangular is being pressed into her mouth from his. Every muscle in her body goes taut.

"Times up, Agent Banner," he gets told by the Officials. "By the order of SHIELD, you are under arrest."

Daniel pulls away from her. His grip softens, cradling her head. Emily finds herself lost for words.

"Finish it..." He says quietly to her, almost inaudible.

Daniel gets escorted out by SHIELD's officials. Emily quickly runs the other way, covering her mouth with one hand. Once she stops, she smashes her free hand against the wall. She spits into her hand to see the foreign object Daniel put in there and stares at it.

It's a USB.

-o-

 _Nairobi, Kenya - 18:37 PM_

Since they know that Daniel is connected to his Hulk, their plan is to fight in a way that does not kill the Hulk but slow him down or tire him out, and so the Hulk doesn't kill them in return since they know that the Hulk will find out that they're going easy and try to terminate them just to not waste time. As they wait in the quinjet, their plan was to let Bruce's Hulk take care of Daniel's for as long as he can.

Bruce transforms into his Hulk in seconds and faces Daniel's who is already ready to pound him. Both Hulk's charge at one another. Bruce's overpowere Daniel's and pummels him to the ground.

Bruce's punches rapidly and Daniel's hits back at a much slower pace, but Bruce has one foot firmly planted on Daniel's chest. Then Bruce's freezes for a bit, realizing that this is the first time he's getting a good look at his son's Hulk. Even though he knows that Daniel isn't in there, the identical features in the two could convince him different.

Daniel's uses this to his advantage. He grabs Bruce's ankle and throws him off. Bruce crashes through a fire hydrant and into a building. Daniel's Hulk walks up to Bruce's, marching right through the spraying water only to see that Bruce's Hulk has shrunken back into Bruce and is lying on his stomach on top of the wet glass shards. Bruce looks back up at Daniel's Hulk and takes a deep breath.

"I'm too old for this..." Bruce mutters to himself, shaking his head.

Daniel's Hulk takes a step closer and snarls, holding a fist up. Bruce just keeps on looking at Daniel's Hulk, not bothering to transform back into his own Hulk. Before Daniel's Hulk could attack, it feels something hit the back of its head. It turns around and sees Xavier catch his shield back in his hands.

-o-

 _SHIELD Holding Cell - 9:57 AM_

Daniel sits in a holding cell, bored out of his mind and anxious. He hopes that Emily plugged that USB into a computer to see what he came up with (and that the passionate kiss he gave her helped her to forget that she was mad and giving him the silent treatment). He hopes that his friends and Dad are not dead at the hands of his Hulk. He's alive so he knows the Hulk is fine. He also hopes that the stupid-sounding plan he came up with while having a desperate mindset actually works.

Basically, all he could do is hope.

Daniel straightens up at the sound of coming in. He sits up and sees two masked agents walk in. Daniel immediately stands and knows that he's being taken somewhere else so he follows them without arguing.

"Where are we going?" Daniel asks them.

They don't answer.

Daniel looks around him and sees nearby SHIELD agents knocked unconscious. His heart starts racing at the possibility that he's going to be killed. Then, he's led on a quinjet so he thinks that he's going to be dropped in the middle of nowhere.

"Please don't tell me you killed them," Daniel says about the SHIELD agents he saw earlier just as the quinjet takes off.

The masked agents reveal themselves and he sees that they're only Emily and Betty so to answer his own question, those agents are not dead. He sighs out of relief as Emily hugs him tightly.

"Daniel, this plan of yours, are you sure it could work?" Betty asks.

"I showed her," Emily explains. "It sounded completely ridiculous and insane to me."

"It's worth a shot." Daniel says. "I mean, what else do I have to lose."

Nothing really.

"Setting a course for Antarctica now," Emily says as she pilots the quinjet.

* * *

 **That kiss got me all excited.**

 **I'm gonna be honest, I thought of a plan for how this will all be solved halfway** **through writing this chapter. For this whole story arc, I just came up with the solution now.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Why does Daniel's plan consist of Antarctica where it all started? Will the team be able to stop Daniel's Hulk without harming Daniel?**


	57. Symbiosis Part Nine

**I'm going to be brutally honest. This chapter is my fucking favorite and it is so worth being over 2000 words.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Daniel's plan involves going back to Antarctica while the others are dealing with his Hulk in Kenya.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Symbiosis Part Nine

 _Nairobi, Kenya - 18:58 PM_

Xavier holds his shield up as the Hulk now looks at him with forming fists. He takes a shaky breath as he runs over with the Hulk's roar ringing in his ears. Xavier jumps in the air and flips over the Hulk, using his shield and the Hulk's shoulders as a vault. Once Xavier lands on the other side, the Hulk spins around faster than expected and punches Xavier away right on the shield. He goes flying right into a nearby car, crashing through the front window.

James flies in from above and begins shooting at the Hulk, flying rapidly all around, too fast for the Hulk to swat. When James flies in front of the Hulk, the Hulk claps with its full arms and the strong gust of wind sends James off. At that moment, Angela comes running up. She points two guns at him and fires both of them simultaneously. Once her guns are out, the Hulk grabs her by one of her arms and hoists her up in the air. Angela grunts as kicks at him since she can feel her arm leaving her socket.

Then, an arrow lands at the Hulk's feet and ticks down before blowing up. The impact of the explosion sends the Hulk back and he accidentally throws Angela behind him. She hits the ground and rolls out of the way to avoid getting trampled by the Hulk. She screams to herself as she pops her own arm back into place, the pain shooting every inch of her body.

Merida shoots a smoke bomb arrow that explodes the same way. She runs over with a newly loaded bow and slides through the Hulk's legs. While on her back she fires another explosive but as she covers her own face to protect herself from the impact, the Hulk picks her up and throws her into a traffic light. Merida slams into it and hears a crack, hoping it was her bow and not her ribs. She struggles to rise, attempting to ignore the acid that's now sloshing around her rib cage.

"This is just like graduation!" Xavier exclaims as some sort of motivation.

He's not completely wrong. Both events had a Hulk that Daniel couldn't control and fighters that didn't really know how to handle the situation. Back then they were inexperienced but now that they're trained, they still have the same goal of not wanting to hurt Daniel.

"This is not like grad!" Angela yells back.

"Because we don't have an Apollo!" James reasons. He looks up to the sky. "Apollo! Help us!"

No response from Asgard.

"Well, shit..." James mutters.

"We don't need Apollo," Merida says. "We have you."

James is taken aback for a moment. "Did the Hulk hit your head or are you actually complimenting me?!"

Merida rolls her eyes. "Can't you grow big?!"

"I've never tried it!"

"Do it! It's now or never!"

James pants. "I don't know if I can! I choose never!"

James inherited Pym particles from his parents. Like both of them, he's able to shrink down and like his mom, he's able to shoot bio-electricity blasts and grow small wings to fly. He knows that his dad could grow into a giant and so could his mom but she can't hold it. He isn't sure about himself.

Merida fires an arrow that lands in the center of the Hulk's chest. It sends an electric current through his system. Angela decides to use this to her advantage.

"Xavier!" Angela exclaims as she starts running up to the Hulk.

She leaps in the air and raises her arms up. In that second, Xavier throws the shield to her. Angela catches it and slams it into the Hulk's back. The Hulk turns around and roars as it punches Angela away. She falls on the shield which slides against the pavement. Angela covers her eyes from the sparks. Once it stops, she stands and makes eye contact with Xavier and throws the shield back towards him.

The Hulk gets in the way and the shield changes its trajectory. It slides at James' feet and he picks it up to throw it where it should be. The Hulk comes his way and James shrinks down. To his surprise, the shield lands on top of his small form like a dome. Before James could get out, the Hulk starts pounding against the shield. All the deafening vibrations and waves cause James to cover his ears and scream as he feels his entire body tremble.

"I'm going to hate this!" He exclaims, but there's a first time for everything.

James squints his eyes shut and clenches up as he forces himself to grow to the size of a skyscraper. The Hulk falls onto its back and the shield goes flying. James staggers on his feet and is astounded by his new height. It takes him a moment to get used to this (and everyone chanting his name).

-o-

 _Quinjet - 19:19 PM_

Daniel plan was to go to Antarctica and get more samples of the virus that caused this in the first place. It was the air of it that infected Daniel but in the freezer he opened in the first place came with a solid that they melted down to a liquid and put in syringes. While making this plan, he figures that if someone actually took the time to make a virus to kill him then he might as well use it to save himself. It was all he had to work with.

Now, they're hovering above Nairobi with a clear view of the battle between the Hulk and their friends.

"Are you sure your organs won't burst out?" Emily asks Daniel worried about this plan. "You don't have a gamma gene for the virus to cling onto."

"Babe," Daniel says as he hold her head in his hands, "I do have a gamma gene."

Betty smiles as she lands the jet on the next block. Emily looks at Daniel with a puzzled look, trying to figure out what he means since Betty obviously gets it. She looks at Daniel and then sees his Hulk. Then it all clicks for her.

"I told you I had a plan," he says. "I have a very powerful brain."

"I love you and your powerful brain," Emily tells him, giving him a quick kiss.

"It's fascinating how this comes and works in all three states of matter," Betty says. "You know that the main purpose of this virus is to find the gamma gene and take it out. Will it even accept an outside source and bring it back in?"

"That's why we're giving the Hulk some. Not only does this virus need a gamma gene but the gamma gene needs a host body which is me."

Betty looks at Daniel and trusts him and his plan as she injects the virus back in him.

-o-

 _Nairobi, Kenya - 19:22 PM_

James looks down at the others and the Hulk. The benefit of this is that he's taller but the downside is that he feels so awkward and flimsy when it comes to this.

The Hulk jumps right on James' knee and he screams as he hears the Hulk snap something. James immediately balls the Hulk up in his fists and tries to hold him in. The Hulk punches its way out and pounces towards James' neck. All the air is knocked out of him as James falls on his back. The Hulk leaps in the air, about to do a grand slam on James' throat but Xavier's shield knocks him out of the way as James shrinks back down.

Emily runs up to Merida who's currently gripping her chest in pain.

"Shoot this at the Hulk," Emily says, passing Merida the syringe.

"Keep the Hulk steady!" Merida yells at whoever isn't unconscious.

Merida attaches the syringe to one of her standard arrows. Nearby, Xavier picks up a chain on the ground and tosses it to James who stands behind the Hulk. He shrinks down to catch it and wrap it tightly around the Hulk's waist by flying around. He grows back to his normal size and throws the chain to Angela who stands beside Xavier. The twins both pull on the chains to keep the Hulk in place even though the monster resists. Merida quickly fires the syringe which lands on its shoulder. James pushes down on the syringe so its contents enter the Hulk's body.

They all wait for something to happen.

Nothing, except for the Hulk pulling on the chains and sending the Rogers twins to the ground. Everyone was expecting some sort of giant happy ending but nothing happened.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Daniel marches out with a gun in his hands. He stands in front of his Hulk and forces himself to take a step closer despite his want to run the other way. The Hulk doesn't move simply because it recognizes Daniel now rather than when they were in the ocean. Daniel takes a breath as fear begins to take over his whole body. He is finally facing the one thing in the world that scares him the most and even if he didn't have the virus in his system, his organs would still feel like exploding out due to his nerves.

"You know what?" Daniel questions his Hulk pointing right at him with his free hand. "You were inside of me from the very beginning of my life and I was always afraid of you. Everyone was. They knew that I couldn't control you but their fear wasn't because of you. It was because of me. I was afraid to even _try_ to control you. There were days when I wished I never had you inside me, that I never wanted anything to do with you but now I know that I need you to survive and you might not believe this but you need me as well."

The Hulk roars at Daniel in disbelief at his statement.

"Do you want to take that risk?" Daniel questions, pointing his gun at the side of his head.

"You're bluffing," The Hulk tells him.

He's never heard his Hulk speak directly to him before so this is chilling. Daniel grins a little at his statement, ready to test his Hulk. He points his gun to the sky and shoots it to show that it's loaded before pointing it back at himself.

"You see?" Daniel tells his Hulk. "We're symbiotic organisms. If I put a bullet in my brain, then you're coming with me whether you like it or not. I'm asking you again, do you want to take that risk?"

Daniel is about to pull the trigger but the Hulk steps over to him and crushes the gun. The two of them look at each other. That's when Daniel realizes that the Hulk doesn't want Daniel to pull the trigger for _both_ of their benefits.

"Help me..." Daniel begs with tears in his eyes. "Please..."

The Hulk puts a hand on Daniel's shoulder which doesn't scare him like he thought it would.

"Stay angry..." The Hulk mutters to Daniel.

A tear falls down Daniel's face as he nods. He then starts crying out of joy. The Hulk, to his surprise, grins which in return makes Daniel smile even more. Daniel holds up his arm and uses a blade to make a cut in his arm. Daniel holds up his arm to expose the virus to his gamma gene also known as his Hulk. The virus comes out of his arm as a mist and takes the Hulk in as one. Daniel suddenly feels revived once the Hulk is back inside of him. He feels much more alive now, possibly more than before because now he accepts that he has a Hulk inside of him.

"That worked right?" Daniel asks just to make sure as he turns around to face his friends and parents.

They all smile and nod excitedly as they see Daniel's eyes go from bright green back to brown.

* * *

 **Say whatever you want but this chapter is fucking awesome. You can't disagree with me on that.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- the aftermath of this complex mission is not pleasing to anyone.**


	58. Doctor of SHIELD

**As I was writing this, I realized what a savage Daniel is and I loved it. He really grew up from how I was writing him in Emily and Britney's stories.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Doctor of SHIELD

 _Location Classified - 6:26 AM_

 _Council: From the earliest days of The Avengers, the nightmare known as The Hulk has been given a free pass - allowed to roam the Earth, no matter what horror he brings to innocent people of the world. No matter how much damage or how many kills._

Daniel sits in this early morning debriefing. It's been about two days since him and his Hulk merged back together and he has shown no side-effects that came with using the virus that plagued him to also cute him. This is the first time he's sitting face-to-face with the Council and they're obviously not happy to see him. And as much as he likes history, he doesn't appreciate the horrible lesson.

 _Council: The fact is that in its early incarnation, The Avengers actually embracing The Hulk as a teammate was the first sign that The Avengers were a flawed concept at best._

"So, now you're saying that having their kids around is a continuation of this _'flawed concept'_ since we share the same ideology," Daniel states.

 _Council: If that's what you take out of it then yes._

Daniel sits up straighter. "I'll have you know that those statements are all false and you already know why. The only one who has been having nightmares this whole time about the Hulk is me and unlike all of you, I couldn't run away from it. I know why the Hulk is a risk because I have been walking on eggshells my whole life trying to not let it out even though it sometimes got the best of me."

 _Council: Damage has been done._

"I know and I take full responsibility for my actions."

 _Council: An action of this severity will result in a temporary revoking you of ranking. No longer will you be Agent Banner._

Daniel smiles a little. "Okay."

 _Council: You seem alright with that._

"I'm no agent. I'm a scientist and a doctor. Take that _'agent'_ title away all you want."

-o-

 _Xavier's Apartment - 13:14 PM_

Daniel walks into Xavier's apartment, knocking on a door that he already opens since Xavier gave him a key to his apartment. Xavier and the others have been living here ever since SHIELD put them on probationary leave for lying on oath and they're all healing from injuries they got from the battle again the Hulk - all in all it was perfect timing for them to take a break. Daniel's apologized for that over a thousand times but none of his friends are accepting only because they believe that it was never his fault. Nevertheless, he always stopped by to take care of them hence the reason why he has a key to Xavier's apartment.

"I came with Chinese food," Daniel says, putting a plastic bag in the middle of the living room's coffee table since they were all camped out on surrounding couches.

"Stop feeling guilty," Merida says to him as she holds her sides to get a container of dumplings. "That fight was the greatest experience of my life and so worth being out of the field for another three months."

"Wow," James states, "Merida is complimenting again. I like you better when you're on painkillers."

Merida's ribs hurt too much to fight back so she throws a packet of soy sauce at his face.

"Consider yourself lucky that the Hulk didn't jump on your neck and break your knee," James grumbles before meeting Daniel's eyes. "I mean give you a _great_ full-body massage."

James awkwardly eats some noodles. Daniel stares at him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm just happy that we're all alive," Angela says optimistically. "And even if SHIELD didn't put us on a probationary leave for x amount of months, I would've taken a leave of absence."

"If you really think about it," Xavier adds, "this job gets harder and harder by the minute. That fight against the Hulk is probably nothing compared to what may or may not happen in the future."

"What does that mean?" Daniel asks.

Xavier takes a breath. Now is a better time to bring up what he's been meaning to tell the team for a while since they were so busy with Daniel and his estranged Hulk, and now they're all here. Well, not Emily but someone could just fill her in on the loop.

"Before Sergei blew up the jet," Xavier starts, changing positions in his seat. "He told me that we were being betrayed by someone and that Daniel was just the first one to go."

Everyone is tense at the sound of those words. If there's anything that this group of friends is based on, it's loyalty. The fact that someone may or may not be betraying them is frightening because who could it be?

"Maybe he was talking about the Hulk beating all our asses," Angela guesses.

Xavier shrugs and then look at James. "I can't believe you grew big for the first time during that battle."

"I'm still the same guy."

"Yeah, but with power!"

"And a broken everything," Merida cheekily adds.

James narrows his eyes at the both of them.

"Hey," Angela says to Daniel, "when you finally showed up to the battlefield with a gun and shot it once into the sky to prove to your Hulk that it was loaded, if worst came to worse, would you have fired at yourself?"

"I wouldn't," Daniel say with all seriousness before breaking into a smile. "That was the only bullet in the gun."

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 14:45 PM_

Daniel is back at Stark Towers, sitting on the couch eating a pint of ice cream that's so frozen that it bent the spoon. Bruce walks out and sees his son struggling to get a decent spoonful even though he knows that's the least of his problems.

"What flavor is that?" Bruce asks.

"Despair," Daniel responds.

"Wow. That's my favorite. Want to talk about it?"

"The ice cream? Yes, please. Emily bought it from - "

Daniel stops talking and sighs, shaking his head. He puts the ice cream on the table and sits back.

"What's there to be sad about?"

"When the Hulk and I merged back, I got his memories from when we were separated."

"Oh..." Bruce takes a seat on the arm of the chair.

"I almost killed everyone." Daniel looks up at his dad. "And they all seem okay with that."

"They didn't object to being out there, even if it is their job. You also saved everyone, including yourself."

"That's the only redeeming part of all this. You know, I only thought of that plan because I wondered what would happen if I injected it in the Hulk. And then the whole concept of him being pure gamma and needing a host came to mind." Daniel smiles proudly at himself. "Hypothetically speaking, could you ever make something like that?"

Bruce shrugs. "Whoever made that is beyond any of us. Someone extremely intelligent came up with that and I want to know who. Your mother and I are going to that lab in Antarctica and study that virus. We didn't want to tell you at the time but it's a fascinating pathogen."

Daniel smirks. "It actually is when it's not killing me. Have fun down there."

"Emily's coming with us."

"Oh, then it was nice knowing you."

Both of them laugh as Emily walks in. She doesn't ask what they were talking about but just goes straight for the freezer-burned ice cream.

"SHIELD is letting you go there?" Daniel asks. "I thought they would be the ones to search."

"They wanted to and thought they were more qualified to, but I found the lab and told them 'finders keepers' with a side of a lawsuit. It's also a chance to do some in-law bonding."

She smirks at Bruce who leaves the room to give them a moment. Emily sits on the couch next to Daniel and faces him. Her bright expression tells him that she regrets ever giving him the silent treatment back then and just wants to love him.

"I love you but your oh-so-powerful brain already knew that, didn't you?" She says to him.

Daniel grins. "Of course it did."

Emily kisses him and Daniel pulls her closer to him again, just like the kiss they shared before SHIELD took him in but Emily puts her hands on his chest and stops him.

"I'm leaving for Antarctica now," She tells him. "Pick out some wedding cutlery while I'm gone and when I get back we'll continue this."

Emily blows him a kiss before running out the door. Daniel laughs a little to himself.

* * *

 **If this story had to be divided into seasons like television shows, then this concludes season one.**

 **And just to let you know, the creator of that virus will be revealed eventually.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Looks aren't everything / Not everyone was made for combat.**


	59. Prince in Disguise

**Welcome to, shall we say, season two of this story.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Prince in Disguise

 _SHIELD Training Center - 9:41 AM_

Emily walks through SHIELD until she reaches the training center. She takes a deep breath as she opens the door. She's been dreading this day for two months since her friends were on a mix of probationary leave and a leave of absence to recuperate from their serious injuries. Now that they were back, their first order from SHIELD was to properly train Emily since they didn't want her to die on the field for not knowing what she's doing.

Emily closes the door behind her and her friends all see her as she finishes applying her lipstick. They're all glaring at her. Well, all of them that are here which is eveyone except Merida.

"What?" Emily asks defensively.

She knows what. She's almost an hour late. She didn't mean to show up at this time but it was all unintentional. Emily quickly claps her lips to blot them from excess lipstick.

"You know I hate waking up early," Emily tells them even though they already knew that. "Some of us _like_ our beauty sleep."

They all continue glaring and Emily knows why.

"Fine, that's kind of a lie," she admits. "I couldn't find my lipstick."

"I believe that," James says.

"So do I," Daniel adds.

"Me too," Xavier says.

Emily's glad she's now off the hook for her tardiness. At least she think she is. Xavier is still giving her a dirty look. Emily smiles innocently at him.

Angela laughs a little. "If Merida was here, she would kill you, saying something along the lines of _'you're training to fight, not date!'_ "

Emily shakes her head with a bright smile on her face. "Oh boy, how I wish I could teach that girl to date."

Emily rubs her hands together like a villain who's about to unleash a master plan to destroy the city. Back in the day, they all would've been scared to see Emily with that face since it would've led to a stupid of right now, Angela seems tempted to have the same idea which is completely different from teenager Angela.

"Maybe she hasn't met her match yet," Angela says, jumping on Emily's bandwagon.

"Where the hell can we find her match?" Emily wonders.

Xavier groans. "Can we not have a _girl talk_ right now?"

"Besides, Merida's love life is fine," Daniel says.

"If non-existent means fine," James retorts.

"...good point."

Angela crosses her arms at them. "Look who's having the girl talk now?"

She raises an eyebrow at James and Daniel who immediately shut up. Emily goes over to the side and sees her training uniform to which her face automatically cringes to.

"I hate this training uniform," Emily tells them. "It doesn't match my lipstick."

Everyone facepalms. This is only the start of a long training session.

-o-

 _San Francisco, USA - 6:54 AM_

Merida strides across the street with the early morning sunrise just peeking over the horizon which force her to lower the shades from the top of her head to avoid squinting her eyes. A fresh, salty breeze blows her curls back as she approaches a series of run-down docks. By the edge of the water, she's greeted by an all-too familiar sight: a circle roped off by a yellow police tape and a huddle of grim officers. Merida pushes past them to get closer to the scene until she's standing right in front of a female corpse lying on the shore.

"Ah, hell..." Merida mutters under her breath.

According to SHIELD's dossier, Prisoner #101BZ4 escaped prison. Hours after, some fishermen coming back from their morning haul found the body in their nets. The security cameras in the area had a 72% match of facial recognition between the body and the escaped prisoner.

Merida walks around the body to get a full understansing of it, but stops when a man in a dark suit steps out and snaps a picture.

"Sir, please back away from the crime scene," Merida orders politely.

"I could but that would make doing my job a lot more difficult," the man replies.

The man, with the blackest hair and honey skin, stands up tall before her. His piercing blue eyes and chiseled features force Merida to straighten her posture. It's not like she hasn't seen men like this before because she has seen many. This one is just, _wow_. She watches as he reaches into his suit jacket pocket and flash an FBI identification badge for her. Merida quickly glances at it before looking back at him.

"Are we going to have a problem?" He asks her in a tone that already knows her answer.

"Not at all," Merida replies snidely.

"Agent Blake Wilde," he introduces formally, offering a hand.

"Agent Merida Barton," she replies, shaking his hand.

"CIA?"

"SHIELD, don't insult me."

He grins a little from the corner of his mouth as he looks at her. "Can I call you Mer?"

Merida frowns. "You can call me Agent Barton."

"Well, _Agent Barton_ , mind if I examine the crime scene?"

"Be my guest."

Merida steps back, opening an arm towards the corpse as though to welcome him to look at it. Blake gives her a grin and her mouth doesn't budge. He looks at her before kneeling down as Merida shadows from above.

"She isn't my missing prisoner," Merida confirms. "The percentage of their resemblance is remarkable though."

"She's got no visible wounds," Blake says. He can see Merida's shadow nodding. "No signs of bruising or struggle around the neck and I'm not seeing any head trauma."

"Even her clothes are neat," Merida points out. "No rips or tears unless a hypothetical killer methodically dressed her. Or there's the possible that she dressed up and took her own life."

Blake looks over his shoulder and up at Merida.

"Look at us being a crime-solving team," he says, smiling.

Merida rolls her eyes underneath her shades. "There are different people to take care of this."

Merida dismisses herself from the crime scene once she sees no use for herself, and some detectives come to take over. She crosses the street back to her car and heard someone following her. Merida turns around to see that Blake is behind her.

"Care to give me a lift?" Blake asks her. "I've done my work here."

Merida studies him for a moment before nodding her head and opening the door for him. He gets in the passenger seat as Merida starts the car and drives off.

* * *

 **Blake Wilde is an important character and I am currently screaming for joy because he's finally here. I was going to introduce him later but found it more fitting here. If you go to my profile and read through the Project: New Generation FAQ, specifically question #3, you'll know why I am screaming.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Training Emily for the field will not be simple / Merida and Blake will be taking a long car ride where truths will be revealed.**


	60. Caught in the Act

**_Recap_ \- While the team is training Emily for the field, Merida is in the car with an FBI agent who has captured her attention.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty: Caught in the Act

 _SHIELD Training Center - 9:57 AM_

It took Emily about twenty minutes to finally put on the SHIELD training uniform which also involved in her changing her makeup and heels to match. Emily wanted to wear her brand new nude heels that matched the uniform and everyone just went along with it so she would stop complaining and they would actually start with the training.

"Now," Xavier instructs, "just put on this bulletproof vest."

Emily cringes at the vest. "It doesn't match my outfit."

"I honestly don't care about your outfit. You're in a training uniform so it does match."

"Good clothes are like armor - blow the enemy away with an awesome fashion sense."

"I believe that," James says, giving support to Emily.

"How does that - " Xavier starts before realizing that the questions will never end. "I give up. Daniel, help me."

"Emily, you'll look beautiful in it," Daniel tries.

"Liar!" She yells back. "Xavier looks awful in it!"

Daniel and Xavier groan in annoyance as James stifles laughter. If Merida was here, they would either already be in training or she would've killed Emily. But Merida skipped out on the opportunity to avoid breaking Emily in half so SHIELD sent her across the country. Everyone else now thinks how Merida was the smart one in this situation.

Angela steps in. "What if you were faced in a conflict where you didn't have your armor and someone did this to you?"

Angela quickly fires her gun. Emily flinches as she watches the bullet bounce off the armor in Xavier's hands. Everyone else hopes that this will convince her to put it on.

Emily lifts an eyebrow. "What if, in said given conflict, I didn't even have this ugly vest?"

Angela is speechless since she doesn't have an answer for that. She looks at Xavier and Daniel for help but they got nothing to counteract that argument.

"She has a point," James says.

"Don't take her side!" Angela yells at him.

-o-

 _San Francisco, USA - 7:02 AM_

While driving, Merida continues to examine Blake Wilde from underneath her sunglasses through her peripheral vision. She doesn't know why she keeps on looking at him but her eyes can't just look away without looking back. He's handsome, yes, but she doesn't think of that as a reason to stare.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Blake asks her casually.

Merida's silence answers his question.

"Do you keep on looking at me because you find me attractive?" He asks her again.

Merida keeps silent as she rolls her eyes. She taps her fingers on the steering wheel in annoyance which he notices.

"If I'm not mistaken," Blake continues, "SHIELD is cleaning up and doing a further investigation on what happened in Nairobi with the Hulk along while doing a clearance on Emily Stark...and yet, you're here."

Merida furrows her brows at him. "If _I'm_ not mistaken, the local FBI branch is tracking and analyzing drug cartels which have been rumored to be associated with fishing companies to use their water ports for a means of transportation...and yet, _you're_ here."

Blake narrows his eyes at her. "What are _you_ implying?"

"What were _you_ inferring?"

At a red light, Merida and Blake narrow their eyes at each other through their sunglasses. They stop looking at each other when the light turns green and Merida steps on the gas to continue driving. The tension, however, is still present.

"What kind of SHIELD agent are you?" Blake finally asks.

"One who just got off of probationary leave and recovery time, has no interest in researching Hulk crap, and doesn't want to train Stark."

"Interesting."

"So tell me, what kind of FBI agent are you?"

"I'm not."

That shocking statement causes Merida to slam on the brakes. The cars behind her honk erratically before passing around her. Merida lowers her shades and stares at Blake with her green eyes open extremely wide.

"What?" Merida questions even though she heard him perfectly the first time.

"I'm not an FBI agent," Blake admits. "I'm a journalist. The one who was supposed to cover that story didn't show up to work this morning so my editor made me head on over to report it. You get more details when you're in disguise."

Merida stares at him, stunned about his confession. "What do you really write about?"

Blake sighs with a smirk on his face. "Before I tell you, please take note of this: I have a Masters in Communications and Media Studies, I speak five languages fluently, and have had internships all over the world. You'd think that with all that education and experience I would have a great position but no. My jackass of an editor put me in charge of writing advice for people and their shitty love lives when mine is ironically not that credible."

Unexpected for the both of them, Merida bursts out laughing. Blake joins in, watching Merida as she wraps an arm around her sides not because they're cramping but because her freshly-healed ribs still kind of hurt when laughing. Merida leans on the steering wheel, finally calming down from all the laughing.

"You have a cute laugh," Blake tells her. "You should do it more often."

Merida sits up again. "What makes you think that I'm not a habitual laugher?"

"I'm a journalist, I know how to read people."

Merida nods slowly. "So, did reading letters about infidelity teach you how to perfectly analyze a dead body?"

Blake laughs a little. "No, but that would be quite the letter. Actually, one of my older sisters is into forensic science and would watch those kind of documentaries all the time."

Merida stares at him a bit longer. Blake also looks back at her. They both remain silent in each other's eyes before another car's honking horn makes them both jump a little.

"You better be careful where you masquerade as an agent," Merida tells him as she begins to drive again. "And what you write in that article."

"Are you going to arrest me for collusion?" Blake asks her.

Merida glances at him and he seems much more excited at the idea of being arrested by _her_ than frightened of being arrested in general. It takes Merida longer than usual to catch up in this situation since this has never really happened to her.

"Are you flirting with me?" Merida asks him.

"Kind of," he replies bluntly.

"Well, stop."

"Why?"

"Because I'm on the job."

"So am I." He smiles, quickly running a hand through his hair. "But face it, if we were actually being serious about our jobs and not distracted by one another, I would've walked and you would've noticed my fake FBI badge the moment I showed you."

Merida, obviously defeated, doesn't respond. Blake grins as he notices.

"Admit it, Agent Mer," he says, "I impressed you."

Merida slides her sunglasses back on, keeping silent. She rethinks about what Blake has done in the little time that she's known him: he successfully duped her, made her laugh, and obviously developed some sort of infatuation on her (to which she has no idea what to say back). She hasn't even made a snide comment about being called Agent Mer.

Merida doesn't admit anything about being impressed nor will she admit that her cheeks get hot when she looks at him.

* * *

 **I love writing Merida and Blake...**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- More training with Emily ensues / Merida and Blake are still not taking their jobs seriously**


	61. A Few Drinks Later

**_Recap_ \- Emily is being the worst trainee ever just as Merida found out the truth about Blake Wilde.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-One: A Few Drinks Later

 _SHIELD Training Center - 10:24 AM_

"Dodge left," Xavier instructs.

Emily stands parallel to Angela in a fighting stance. After hearing Xavier's command, Emily jumps to the side only to be knocked over by Angela in mere seconds.

"He meant your other left," Daniel corrects.

"That hurt," Emily complains from the ground.

James puts an ice pack on her head and the coldness of it makes her spike up. He can't really do anything strenuous to his knee since it is still in the healing process from the battle against the Hulk. He currently wears a brace and can walk, but he can't do anything that will further damage it. Daniel stands with James to the side. He can't really help the training either since he's not as qualified in combat compared to Angela and Xavier.

Emily huffs from the ground. "I could really use a drink."

-o-

 _San Francisco, Florida - 7:26 AM_

After all the alarming confessions, Merida and Blake decide that they need something to cut their unexpected tensions and nothing does that better than booze. Blake points out the next upcoming bar and Merida parks right outside of it. To their surprises, it's more crowded than it should be with drunkards and it's not even 8 AM.

"I'll be back," Blake says.

Merida nods as she sits at the counter. The bartender meets her eye and smiles at her.

"Manhattan," she orders and receives moments later.

Merida takes a sip of hers and sees Blake come back with a drink of his own. She takes a sip of her drink and sets it back on the bar as he sits on the stool next to her, legs turned so he could face her.

"If you were a gentleman, you would've offered to buy me a drink," Merida says.

"If you were a lady, you would've waited for me to make the offer," Blake replies.

Merida smirks, realizing that he has a point. Out of all the boys she's met and known, Blake seems to be the only one who is able to keep up with her wits which also impresses her. She notices that he's ditched his suit jacket and has rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. On his arm, he sees something written. Without asking, Merida grab his arm, slightly spilling his drink. She unbuttons his sleeve and rolls it up to reveal a tattoo. Merida tilts his arm, spilling his drink even more, just to read the typewriter font.

"'Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent underneath,'" Merida reads.

Blake looks at it and smiles a little. Seeing Merida actually be curious and interested in something excites him since from what he's seen about her so far, she seems to not care about anything.

"I actually liked Macbeth," Merida says, knowing where the source of his tattoo came from. "It was a play about people who fucked up their own lives and there was little to zero romance. But was getting a quote tattooed worth it?"

Blake orders a refill on his bourbon. "The idea of getting a tattoo always scared me because it's permanent but that's the whole point. Besides, being able to treat our bodies like canvas, they also have the power to keep us grounded, even when we're constantly moving. It's like bringing home with you."

"Having that quote on your arm is home?"

"I grew up as the middle child of four other girls without a father. My mother was a strong woman who often told us to - " he gestures to his tattoo.

Merida nods, understanding. "So, she basically told you not to take shit from anyone."

Blake scoffs. "Basically."

"So, where is home?"

"Here because of work, but my family's in Switzerland. You?"

"New York."

"Obviously." He gestures to her drink. "Do you have a tattoo?"

Merida nods. "An arrow on my back shoulder. I got it as a hasty decision as a teenager to save my friends' asses since they're all morons but it grew on me. My parents got mad about it since I already have a ton of piercings but since my dad and I are archers, they have grown to like it."

Blake looks at her tenderly, nodding his head. She glances at him and takes a sip of her drink. He clears his throat as he squares his shoulders.

"I don't get you," Blake states. "You come off as someone who's apathetic but your explanation of that tattoo alone shows that you actually care about people."

"I do care about people," Merida argues even though Blake has such a strong point. "Here, I'll show you."

-o-

 _SHIELD Training Center - 10:45 AM_

Xavier and Angela spar just to be an example for Emily who is looking at them but whether or not she's actually paying attention is questionable. Her face says that she's focused but her eyes wonder when this will all be over. To be fair, everyone wants this horrible day to end and it barely started.

"What is this?" Emily asks them.

"Training," Angela responds.

"For what? The circus?"

Angela takes a breath. "It's called martial arts."

"Fancy weapons won't always protect you," Xavier adds.

"Remember that the next time you use something I made to protect yourself," Emily tells them.

Angela and Xavier glare at her with the most hateful expression the could ever make with their faces. Emily, on the other hand, beams at her response.

"She has a point," Daniel mutters.

"Stop siding with her!" Angela yells at him.

Daniel raises his hands in surrender as Emily blows him a quick kiss.

"Emily, do you get it?" Xavier asks her.

"If I say no, will you hurt me?" Emily asks.

"No."

"Then no."

As Xavier groans for the hundredth time this morning, Daniel and James get a text from Merida in their personal group chat.

 _Merida: You idiots better be alive by the time I get back._

Daniel and James look at Angela and Xavier who are currently giving Emily death glares. Out of that scene alone, they're not sure which ones will be coming out alive.

-o-

 _San Francisco, USA - 7:45 AM_

After a couple more refills and questions, Merida and Blake have really gotten to know each other in the small 75 minutes that they've known each other. At this point, it could be the alcohol talking, but they've just been spilling their guts out to each other since they figure that since they're technically strangers with a possible interest in one another, what do they really have to lose?

"What do you hate about dating?" Blake asks her.

"I have zero experience with dating but maybe that's because I'm avoiding the beginning of it," Merida admits. "It's just so awkward and forcibly mushy and weird. I hate being uncomfortable and romance makes me uncomfortable."

"I get that."

"I just don't do relationships."

"Then why do you want one with me?"

Merida chokes on her drink, spills the rest, and starts coughing. She calls the bartender over for a refill and Blake just sits there, cleaning up her mess with some napkins and smirking at her.

"I can't believe I just caught you off guard," he says proudly, "but you didn't answer my question."

If opposites really do attract, then Blake Wilde might as well be her soulmate. And the longer Merida looks at him, the more he becomes a soulmate she's not answering. She only raises an eyebrow as a response which could mean many things.

"Would you count this as a date?" Blake asks her.

"Sure, why the hell not?" Merida says in a tone that could be interpreted as sarcastic even if she doesn't mean it like that. "I've already embarrassed myself and poured out my deepest secrets."

"Would this be your first date?"

"Shut the hell up."

"That answered my question."

* * *

 **Not gonna lie, Merida and Blake are super cute. I love writing them.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Two unlikely events continue: Emily training and Merida dating.**


	62. Duty Calls

**_Recap_ \- Emily's logic when it comes to training is annoying her friends / Merida and Blake have mutually decided that what they're doing right now is going on a date.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Two: Duty Calls

 _San Francisco, USA - 8:03 AM_

"Let's play darts," Merida suggests.

"Are you sure?" Blake questions. "We're both a bit tipsy."

"I have perfect aim."

Blake scoffs. "Confident or cocky?"

Merida spins around in her barstool and sees a drunk man sleeping on the bar with his martini still in its glass. She takes the toothpick that has two olives on it. Merida eats one olive and leaves the other one. She keeps her eyes on Blake as she whips the toothpick. Blake looks over and sees that it landed right on the bullseye across the room. Blake pulls out his glasses to get a better look and shows his praise for her as he puts his glasses back.

"Shit," Blake says. "I didn't think you could impress me more, Agent Mer."

Merida grins. "Don't tempt me."

Blake acknowledges the fact that he's tempting for Merida. Merida gets up and heads over to the dart board. Blake follows and Merida hands him some darts, keeping the rest for herself. It takes Merida a second to realize that she doesn't have a guard up when talking to him. She feels like even though she could resist him with her bitter charm, his responses keep her interested in having a conversation with him which is something she has never felt.

"I gotta get back to work by 9," Blake says.

"We're both on the clock and tipsy," Merida tells him. "We gotta get sober before going back."

"Please, I read mopey love letters for a living. I need to be intoxicated."

Merida laughs. "Come on. Let's go a few rounds of darts and forget about our jobs for a while."

-o-

 _SHIELD Training Facility - 11:07 AM_

Angela and Xavier put away all the training materials they were using. They could've trained Emily for longer but she was just getting on their nerves. Emily may or may not have been extra irritating on purpose since she didn't want to train. She's just happy that it's all over.

"You could call this whole session a failure but I prefer the term _'learning experience'_ ," Emily says sparingly.

Angela and Xavier are even more annoyed than before which they didn't think would be possible, holding grudges against her which will probably stand forever. Daniel and James suddenly get an alert from SHIELD. It makes the kind of sound that says that they have a task with their names on it.

"What kind of mission is it?" Xavier asks them.

"I'm not so sure," Daniel says.

Daniel shows Xavier the alert they got and Xavier is taken aback. He nods, understanding what Daniel meant when he said he has no clue what the mission is.

"Makes sense why SHIELD would send us," Angela says. "Not only are we the best they have but they're also the first ones they would throw into a chasm of the unknown - which is basically what they're doing."

"It's just a set of coordinates which, at first glance, seem to be located somewhere in the Scandinavian countries," James says. "You guys suit up and gather some weapons we may need while I go set up a course to San Francisco to pick up Merida just before we head there."

-o-

 _San Francisco, USA - 8:34 AM_

Merida hears her phone vibrating against the bar counter. She picks up her phone and sees the text for the mission from her team. Usually, Merida would be psyched for a new mission especially one like this but when she looks up and sees Blake she just sighs. She'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy his company. Maybe she could skip this mission and lie, saying that she's caught up here but she can't do such a thing.

"Oh, shit..." Merida says.

"Early hangover?" Blake questions.

"No, no, this is worse."

"Worse than a hangover? Unbelievable. What is it, Agent Mer? We were just starting to have fun."

"Duty calls," she says regretfully.

"What does SHIELD want?" He asks.

"I have no idea."

Blake smirks a little. "The whole point of lying is to actually _have_ a lie. Unless that's some tactic then it's a stupid one at that."

"No, I'm serious. I have no idea what they want."

"You could just tell me _'it's classified'_ if it is. I'll understand."

Merida takes a glance at the message on her phone. She turns her phone around and slides it across the counter to Blake. He pulls out his reading glasses and picks up her phone to read it. Besides, what's on her screen is literally information that she could post online if she really wanted to.

"0-8-4?" Blake questions, handing the phone back to her. "What does that mean?"

"An object of an unknown origin," Merida responds.

"Sounds cool."

"Or deadly."

"Still cool. Were you even allowed to tell me that?"

"Probably not but now we're even."

He removes his glasses and raises an eyebrow. "Even?"

"I could arrest you for collusion and you could expose me for relaying classified information."

Blake grins. "Three numbers is not that juicy for a story but you're implying we'll see each other again."

"If you're lucky."

"Good because I'd like that."

Merida smirks before getting her jacket and heading towards the exit. She opens the door and her still-slightly-tipsy eyes since and the sunlight so she brings up a hand to block it.

"Hey, Agent Mer," he calls.

Merida turns around to face him again.

"Aren't you going to pay for your drink?" He asks.

Merida grins. "Be a gentleman and put it on your tab."

Blake laughs a little. Merida lowers her sunglasses and walks out.

* * *

 **Blake Wilde will return. It won't be for a long time but he will be coming back.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- the team will go to investigate this mysterious 0-8-4**


	63. A Hidden Relic Part One

**Spoiler, but I can't help myself because I'm excited, this 0-8-4 will change the story.**

 ** _Recap_ \- While Emily was being trained and Merida was on a date, both occasions had to be cut short due to an unexpected 0-8-4 that needed investigating.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Three: A Hidden Relic Part One

 _Above the Norwegian Sea - 18:45 PM_

After the team picked up Merida in San Francisco, the quinjet soared across the sky to head to the coordinates of the unknown 0-8-4. They fill Merida in on what the SHIELD gave them as information for this mission which was only the set of coordinates. She seems irritated by the lack of information.

"This is it?" Merida questions. "We're literally just supposed to find something in the Norwegian Sea? What the hell are we even looking for?"

"It's a 0-8-4," Daniel tells her even though she already knew that. "We don't even know what we're looking for."

Xavier clears his throat. "Here's the plan: not all of us can go down since we're not a hundred percent sure on the conditions underneath the surface so we all won't be properly equipped. There's also the possibility that threats are the 0-8-4."

"Who's going down?" Daniel asks.

"Emily and James."

The team looks at both of them. They both laugh, having to hold onto each other for support until they see that Xavier is serious about sending them down there.

"It's probably because we're his least favorites," Emily whispers to James.

"It's because you have armor made for naval actions and he can shrink down," Xavier explains. "We also need to keep eyes up here."

"Don't lie, we know you hate us."

"If worse comes to worse I'll dive in," Angela pipes in.

At least they have some support. Emily and James look at the other two team members since they know that Xavier would dive in eventually. Daniel immediately shakes his head at the idea of jumping into the ocean with a 0-8-4 in it. Merida does as well but for completely different reasons.

"Please, don't die," Xavier begs Emily and James as if dying situations are inevitable for the duo.

James fakes a gasp. "You care for us?"

"It's actually a lot of paperwork to fill out."

In all honesty, the two of them aren't offended. Xavier smiles as they suit up for the mission. Once they're ready, Angela opens the hangar door and they dive right into the sea. When Emily and James hit the water, they test their communication systems and when they're successful, they start swimming down to find it.

Angela takes a breath and holds her joined hands up to her chest. "I get why we sent them but if you think about it, we're sending someone with a screwed-up knee and another with a screwed-up viewpoint on combat."

Xavier nods, knowing the choice he made. "I kind of regret this."

"I kind of regret showing up for this," Merida says.

Angela looks and sees Merida sitting dead in on the pilot's seat with her feet up on the co-pilot's sea. She's wearing her sunglasses and blocking out the sun from her face. Angela takes a step closer as she inspects Merida.

"Are you having a hangover?" Angela asks her.

"Maybe," Merida replies.

Xavier facepalms and Angela frowns. Daniel, being the only semi-supportive one on the quinjet, gets the first aid kid to give her some painkillers for her possible migraine. Merida pops one and sips some water to help it down.

"What the hell were you doing in San Francisco?" Angela asks like a mother who's angry at her child for sneaking out past curfew.

"I finished early and got a few drinks," Merida replies honestly. "It's completely normal in San Francisco to get drunk before noon."

"Can't you have fun soberly?"

Merida laughs a little. "That's an oxymoron."

-o-

 _Below the Norwegian Sea - 19:03 PM_

James and Emily keep on swimming down to a lower altitude. Given that it's a 0-8-4, they have no idea what they're supposed to be looking for but Emily's armor is constantly scanning the area for anything that's supposedly out of the ordinary.

"I have a confession to make and I think this is the bad time to do it," James says to Emily.

"What?" Emily asks.

"Underwater combat isn't my forte."

"Combat isn't my forte."

Both of them are silent as they think through those statements and swim down even lower.

"Bad plan, Xavier!" James yells into his come for the others to hear. "Should've sent Barton."

 _Xavier: Merida has a hangover._

"Nice!" Emily exclaims, not even considering the unethical approach to showing up to work in that state.

"You go, Merida!" James cheers.

 _Merida: For once, I don't hate them._

 _Angela: Stop siding with her!_

-o-

 _Above the Norwegian Sea - 19:07 PM_

As the others wait for some sort of indication of a 0-8-4 from Emily and James, their own aerial scans start beeping. Angela looks at them before looking out her own window to see what's there. Xavier, Daniel, and Merida stand behind her and see the same thing: jets from other government agencies here to see the 0-8-4.

 _FBI: SHIELD, this is the FBI jet on your left -_

 _CIA: SHIELD, this is the CIA jet on your right -_

 _NASA: SHIELD, this is the NASA jet approaching you from behind -_

 _FBI, CIA, NASA: Do you copy?_

The quinjet is silent as the other agencies wait for a response. Xavier turns on his heel and sees all the jets surrounding them. Lucky for them, they can deal with all of this at once.

"I'll deal with the CIA," Xavier says. He points at Daniel. "NASA." He points at Angela. "FBI." He points at Merida. "Emily and James."

All of them nod and run to their different sections, each of them putting on their own headsets.

"This is the SHIELD quinjet," Angela, Xavier, and Daniel all say at once to their respective agencies.

"Stark, Pym," Merida says into hers. "Just letting you know that we have company up here so don't fuck this up."

-o-

 _Below the Norwegian Sea - 19:10 PM_

"Copy that," James says to Merida in his earpiece. "Tell them I say hi."

Emily continues to scan the area as she and James continue swimming deeper. SHIELD provided them a vague set of coordinates and Emily searches for a specific area to pinpoint on to make this mission easier.

Then, her suit picks up on something in a second. Emily looks at it and sees her readings flashing like a Christmas tree.

"James," Emily says, pointing south-east from where they currently there. "The readings are covering my view but they're exploding from that area. What's there?"

James looks where she's pointing. He shrinks down and swims closer to it.

"Rock formations that kind of look like the wall of the Grand Canyon," James replies as he grows back to his normal size and touches it with his hands. He knocks on it and shockingly hears an echo. "I think it's hollow."

"Me too," Emily says, dismissing the readings. She looks up at the rock formation. "It seems stable and rigid. We could probably make a hole and if there seems to be a different world in it, we've found out 0-8-4."

 _Jarvis: Miss. Stark, you might want to look at this._

"Do you have any hint as to what the object may be before we get closer?" Emily asks her AI.

 _Jarvis: I can't get a reading on a specific object from here but I can tell you its origin._

"Where?"

James looks at Emily in anticipation. He can't hear Jarvis or see Emily's face directly, but her silence has gone on for way too long.

"Where is it from?" James asks.

"It's Asgardian," Emily replies.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Is a 0-8-4 from Asgardian safe for them to get? Or does it mean something worse?**


	64. A Hidden Relic Part Two

**Everyone, I swear on my life that Apollo and Sigyn will be coming soon.**

 ** _Recap_ \- after being sent on a mission to locate a 0-8-4, the team learns that it has Asgardian roots.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Four: A Hidden Relic Part Two

 _Above the Norwegian Sea - 19:13 PM_

In a fair game, a 0-8-4 is up for grabs from whatever agency could get a hold on it first. Just because the team on behalf of SHIELD got there first doesn't mean that they're also the ones who will walk out with it at the end of the day. They're just the lucky ones who got a head start with obtaining it. Now it's just a matter of who can convince who to drop out of retrieving it.

 _NASA: Our scans reveal a possibility that the 0-8-4 could originate from space._

"You can't assume that an object in the ocean originated from space," Daniel replies. "You would've - or should've - picked up on it when it entered Earth's orbit or even before that."

Angela removes her headset and spins her seat around to face Merida who currently stands in the center, looking down at a holographic platform that shows reading coming from the ocean below in accordance to Emily and James.

"We need an angle to further convince these agencies that we can handle this," Angela tells Merida.

Merida nods at Angela but holds up a hand to put her on hold to listen to what Emily is screaming in her ear. She shakes her head for a moment, unsure of what she heard since Emily keeps on screaming. Once her friend has silenced and said it slower, Merida looks at Angela with a grin.

"Here's your angle," Merida says to them. "Emily says the object is Asgardian."

Xavier and Daniel rip off their headsets mid-sentence with their respective agencies to look at Merida in shock just like Angela.

"I'm as surprised as you are," Merida says.

"Is this their way of coming back after seven years of complete silence?" Daniel questions rhetorically.

Merida scoffs. "Assholes."

Xavier puts his headset back on. "We have just received information that the 0-8-4 is Asgardian still with no word on what the 0-8-4 exactly is. SHIELD has an alliance with the Asgardians so we should be the ones to handle it."

 _FBI: An alliance or a friendship?_

Xavier is left with no words. He looks at Daniel for help on what to say but after Daniel said the same thing to NASA, he was faced with a similar response.

 _NASA: Is your alliance with all of Asgard or just Thor? Loki wasn't a friendly one._

They look at Angela who's faced with the same issue.

 _CIA: You can't let your emotions influence your decisions._

The three of them look towards Merida for help but she shrugs. All of them are obviously faced with the same issue: is their relationship with Asgard strictly a professional one or a platonic one? From what they know about New York, Loki came and then Thor showed up because of Loki. From then on, Thor was known as an Avenger but was dedicated more to his teammates and protecting Midgard than SHIELD.

That was it. That's their approach.

Xavier clears his throat as he returns to his talk with the FBI. "With all due respect to your agency, were you the one who located and studied Thor's hammer?"

Daniel smirks, knowing what angle Xavier's going on and goes the same way for NASA. "With all due respect to your agency, did your satellites pick up the existence of Asgard?"

Angela nods, going back to her conversation with the CIA. "With all due respect to your agency, where were you during The Battle of New York?"

-o-

 _Below the Norwegian Sea - 19:18 PM_

Emily carves an underwater laser at the hollow rock. She blasts back the piece and sees a whole new beach on the inside with the only body of water being the ocean on the inside. This isn't odd for her and James, what's weird is that the water coming from the ocean that they're in is not rushing inside.

"Well, this is all magical," Emily states, sort of unamused.

"Leave it up to Apollo and Britney to fuck up the ecosystem," James comments.

Emily and James enter the new beach and step into the soft, pillowy sand that's as white as a cloud. Emily's suit tells her that this area is completely safe for humans but she and James just don't understand how the existence of this place is logically possible.

"Don't tell me the 0-8-4 is down there," James says, pointing towards the new ocean.

"Yes it is," Emily replies, "Jarvis says that it's safe with no threats."

The two of them dive right into the depths that seem to go on forever and ever the deeper they go. Both of them wanted to stop swimming since they saw no point in going down any further, but they had to get this 0-8-4.

The appearance of underwater vines that sway calmly in the current tells them that they're nearing the ocean floor. As they continue swimming, Emily and James feel something slither around their ankles before gripping on tightly and yanking back. The two of them turn around and see the vines pulling them. They both blast which results in not only the vines on their legs snapping but their arms being grabbed as well.

James shrinks down to escape the vines that trap him. When he grows back to his normal size, one vine wraps around his neck and another around his bad knee. When the vine on his knee tugs, James screams before shrinking down again to escape it.

"Stay clear, James!" Emily exclaims.

In one motion, Emily activates the arc reactor on her chest and blasts it, wiping the ocean floor clear of those vines. She stares at them as the remains, panting for air as James pats her shoulder.

"So much for Apollo and Britney being the ones to fuck up the environment," she jokes.

James tests his bad knee and shockingly doesn't feel pain anymore. "Wow, I think that actually fixed it."

They both continue swimming.

"Where to now?" James asks.

"Following some directions Jarvis is providing," Emily says as she takes a quick glance at them, "I'm getting a strong signal from that way."

She points ahead and they both don't like what they see.

"Through the geysers?" James questions just for some verification.

They swim up to the edge of the cage where they see geysers not only covering the cave floor but the walls and ceilings at once. If they were inactive then they wouldn't be having a problem but they're fully active and ready to blast.

"We can't get through that!" Emily exclaims. "We'll be incinerated! I don't think my armor will survive the heat!"

"Only if we're not careful," James says. "All that matters is timing."

"You've known me long enough to know that I don't have timing skills."

"Just watch the eruption times and make a pattern out of them. Swim through when they're quiet. Just follow me. You ready?"

"I guess," she says skeptically.

"Good enough."

They float there, waiting. One geyser goes off, then a second followed by a third and a fourth. When the first one goes off again, they swim through the moment it stops. They circle around until they feel the water pressure thicken and a geyser bursts right in front of them. Emily and James stop but swim again once it shuts off. They take a sharp turn around a steaming one and it goes off right when they pass it.

They reach the other side and Emily notices her suit flashing.

"And now I'm overheated," Emily says disappointed even though she saw that coming. "Great. As long as my suit doesn't dismantle on me while we're down here then we'll be fine."

"Leave it up to Asgard to have a 0-8-4 in the depths of hell," James comments.

-o-

They swim up to some other shore, not sure of where they are but it isn't the mainland or the beach they first found behind that rock, but a different one. Emily's suit automatically dismantles to cool off and she's sweating buckets underneath. She combs back her sweat-filled hair with her fingers as James removes his scuba mask. Emily waits for her helmet to cool off before putting it back on and using it to scan for the 0-8-4.

"There!" Emily exclaims, pointing to some shrubbery.

She and James run over and start pushing some fallen tree branches and tall grasses to the side. Then, the object that's completely out of the ordinary reveals itself and the two of them are frozen as they look at the 0-8-4.

It's a crown that seems to be made of a deep sea-green stone, carved to resemble snakes. On the front of the crown, three snake heads point upwards, two diagonal and one straight up, all of which are exposing their fangs and curving. It's that part that makes them realize that the crown itself is actually three stone snakes coiled together in a braid.

"I'm getting some odd metallic material I can't distinguish," Emily says as she scans the crown. "Perfectly weighted, possibly enchanted."

"What the hell is an item like this doing down here in some dystopian beach?" James questions.

"We'll find out when we take it."

* * *

 **An Asgardian crown...what could that possibly mean?**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Emily and James be able to get the crown or will something get in their way?**


	65. A Hidden Relic Part Three

**_Recap_ \- Emily and James have found the 0-8-4 which turned out to be a crown.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Five: A Hidden Relic Part Three

 _Below the Norwegian Sea - 19:35 PM_

Emily reaches forwards to grab the crown and the closer her hand gets, the more the ground starts to shake. Emily immediately pulls her hand back. James tries to grab the crown but the same thing happens so he pulls back. Emily takes a step back and faces the ocean. Her scans pick up nothing.

"Try and grab the crown," Emily tells James. "Jarvis, scan for anything strange as he does so."

James reaches for the crown again and as the ground trembles, red lights pierce her eyelids, going haywire. Her retina display sends an array of green gibberish about the warnings.

Emily's eyes open wide. "Stop!"

James stops and pulls his arm back as the scans disappear and report nothing.

"Something's down in the abyss," Emily tells James. "Do we still get it?"

James shrugs. "If it's an Asgardian relic, maybe someone stole it and hid it here."

"Or they purposely placed it here to get rid of it or to make everyone believe it went missing."

The two of them face each other in silence as they stipulate on what to do. Then they agree mutually on a plan: get it and get out quickly.

"Get ready," James warns.

Emily nods.

James reaches for the crown and ignores the earthquake building up. He grabs it and runs up to Emily. Before Emily could get the rest of her suit on, a tidal wave shoots up and takes them both in, bringing them into the rushing current.

-o-

 _Above the Norwegian Sea - 19:17 PM_

The FBI, CIA, and NASA could respond to the questions brought to them about their involvement with past Asgardian activity. As the conversations with them continue, Merida picks up major seismic activity coming from below the ocean's surface where Emily and James are, activity strong enough to break the Richter scale. Merida tracks their locations before it all blanks out just as the seismic activity stops.

"Stark, James, do you copy?!" Merida yells in her headset.

No response.

 _FBI: We will trust SHIELD to carry on with this investigation._

 _CIA: Given that you already have a team down there, it's only best that you finish what you started._

 _NASA: But we request that you report to us your findings._

Their jets fly off. As their conversations end, Merida still has no luck in getting contact with Emily and James. When her teammates remove their headsets, they see her worried look and their expressions drop.

-o-

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

James shoots up awake on his stomach with a mouthful of sand. He spits it out, rubbing his tongue to get rid of all the sand. He takes a moment to catch his breath and check that all his limbs are there (which they are) before standing up and taking action.

"Emily!" He calls, his mouth extremely dry.

No response.

James gets up and stumbles for a bit before gathering some proper footing. He runs across the shore until he sees Emily lying on her back non-responsive. James dives to his knees as he checks for a pulse. When he finds one, he immediately removes her helmet and lightly slaps some color into her pale face. Thankfully, Emily wakes up and spits out the sea water that got in her mouth into James' face.

"I feel like I just went through a washer's spin cycle," Emily says.

"Can you contact the team?" James asks. "I know we're on shore but I have no idea where the hell we are."

Emily tries but there's nothing. Instead, he helps her up and they both walk along the shoreline together to wonder where they are. Their only hope for a way out is a small abandoned-looking plane.

"You can hot-wire this?" James asks.

"Sure I can," Emily replies. "The mechanical in _'biomechanical engineering'_ was meant for this moment."

-o-

Emily pulls a thick red wire from the mass. Then a blue one, biting off the ends of each with her mouth and twists bits of wire from each end together. She reaches deep into the center of the machine and pulls out its brain - a motherboard the size of a shoebox.

"If I just rewire this one section..." Emily mutters to herself. "I should be able to connect the drive."

When she does that, the motherboard sparks in her hands and a web of blue energy spreads across the entire device.

-o-

James sits up the in pilot's seat as the plane comes to life. A sterile feminine voice comes over the ship's speakers.

 _Unknown: James, I can't set the automatic lift. You're going to have to take off manually._

James gasps at the controls. "This plane can talk?"

 _Emily: It's me, you idiot!_

James cocks his ears towards the speakers. "Emily?"

 _Emily: Listen, auto-control's systems have some sort of bug. The power cell is on the fritz as well. I think it can make it, but you're going to have to take off without computer assistance._

James gulps. "Without computer assistance? Are you sure?"

A short silence follows Emily's voice and James can detect that Emily knows something's up with him flying a plane.

 _Emily: You do know how to fly a plane, right?_

"Uh..." James scans the controls in front of him. "Yes?"

In all honesty, James hasn't flown a plane or jet or any flying vehicle since The Academy. He didn't really see a reason to have to know how to fly one since he knows how to fly by himself and his teammates know how to pilot.

James squares his shoulders and reaches for the controller. A moment later, he presses some buttons and lifts switches until lights stream across the dashboard. The engine thrums to life as the plane rises off the ground smoothly. James exhales a long breath but chokes on air as the plane jerks and his own pulse begins to race.

 _Emily: The power cell is going to die! You have to engage the backup thrusters!_

"Engage what?!" James yells, looking around. "Oh, never mind, I found them."

The engine flares again with a sudden jolt of power. The plane lurches from side-to-side as James feels a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck.

 _Emily: What are you doing up there?!_

"Quit distracting me!" James yells, gripping the controls and letting the plane a little too much.

 _Emily: How many flight instructors did you put under cardiac arrest?_

James finally steadies the plane and they fly smoothly from here - mostly because he set it on autopilot.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will the team do about this Asgardian crown?**


	66. A Hidden Relic Part Four

**_Recap_ \- Emily and James survived getting the Asgardian 0-8-4 which turned out to be a crown.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Six: A Hidden Relic Part Four

 _Location Classified - 16:18 PM_

Emily and James eventually found the team's quinjet from their little plane. Nobody questioned their mode of transportation or what happened down there. The team immediately returned to SHIELD while Emily and James just went to Stark Towers to call it a day. The others had to face the Council.

 _Council: The 0-8-4 was of Asgardian origin, correct?_

"Yes," Xavier replies.

 _Council: Did Miss. Stark and Agent Pym say what the object was?_

"They did not."

There is a shift in the atmosphere between the Council members at that statement.

 _Council: Do they not know what the 0-8-4 is?_

"It got destroyed in an unexpected underwater avalanche before they could get to it," Angela tells them. "They both had to get out for the sake of their own survival and almost didn't make it."

 _Council: But this 0-8-4 -_

"They could've died but I guess that doesn't matter to you now does it?" Merida yells, interrupting her superiors.

 _Council: Agent Barton!_

Merida rolls their eyes at their reprimanding. The Council takes a sharp breath as they stare down at her and Merida narrows her eyes back. Daniel clears his throat so the Council could focus on him instead of her.

"The CIA, FBI, and NASA are expecting reports from you," Daniel tells them.

 _Council: We will provide those. As for now, you are all dismissed._

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 17:44 PM_

At Stark Towers, Emily and James sit on opposite ends of the kitchen island, eating a store-bought pie straight from its tin with two forks which they also doused with ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles. At the sound of the elevator's chime, the two of them look over and see their friends arriving from SHIELD.

"So," James says with a chipper tone in his voice, "how did the debriefing go?"

"The Council is pissed and called us failures," Daniel says.

"Oh, so the norm."

"Have you two been thinking while we were gone or just eating?" Angela asks them, narrowing her eyes at the sugar-induced pie they're eating.

"Eating away the pain," Emily replies with a purposeful mouthful of pie. "I have to build a new suit so I need a sugar-induced energy rush."

"Or a sugar-induced coma."

That doesn't stop Emily from taking another giant spoonful of pie and shoving it right into her mouth. She obnoxiously and purposely chews it loudly with her mouth open. Angela just hands her a napkin to wipe the excess that ends up all over her face.

"We don't have Apollo's Asgardian phone number," James tells them. "And I'm not sure how to make a smoke signal to them or if he could interpret one."

"We have to give back the crown somehow," Xavier says. "Emily can't hide it forever and we can't get in shit for lying on oath again, especially since we just got back."

The other all look at Emily to see where she hid the crown and she cocks an eyebrow to her refrigerator. As a team, they all decided to lie to the Council about finding the 0-8-4 since they mutually agreed on returning it to Asgard where it so rightfully belongs. They know that when SHIELD kept the Tesseract, it brought a whole lot of danger and chaos to Earth which almost ended it.

"I can't keep it in there forever," Emily says. "We need to think of something."

Merida looks at Xavier and points a spoon at him. "Can't you get your girlfriend to pick it up?"

Xavier tenses up as he hears those words. Merida's mouth slightly opens as she drops the spoon on the kitchen island.

"Sorry," Merida quickly says, "I kind of forgot you two broke up after grad."

Xavier nods, forgiving her. "I kind of forget as well. Seven years of silence from the both of them really makes an impact on - anyways, back to the crown."

Nobody bothers to question on where Xavier was going with that ramble since it was most likely a ramble on bottled-up feelings towards his ex-girlfriend.

"If it's something important," Daniel starts, "someone will notice it's missing and then someone will come get it."

That's all they can really hope for.

-o-

 _New York, USA - A Week Later - 22:06 PM_

When he's a few feet away, he glances up at them and they are startled by his eyes, a blue so deep and piercing that it penetrates whatever courage they thought they had. That's when they realize that his eyes aren't threatening, they're sad. They aren't sure how they know this, but they are suddenly certain that it's true. Underneath his sadness, they see an unexpected nervousness, caution, wariness - all so deep that it scares them.

It's all in his eyes, which are so much older than when they last saw Thor.

"You have the crown?" Thor asks them. It sounded more like a statement since he knows that they have the crown.

"Yes," Xavier says.

On a dark night in a New York alleyway, Xavier passes a raggedy sac to Thor with the rest of his friends all standing behind him. Thor opens the sack to take out the crown and examines it in his hands. His expression is distraught as he looks at the relic but at the same time, he's sorrowful.

"The Serpent Crown..." Thor mumbles bitterly. They can only guess that's the name of the mysterious crown.

"Are you okay?" Angela asks him.

Thor looks up at the six of them and forces a small smile. "The years have been more than kind to you lot."

He didn't answer the question but nobody felt the need to point it out. They knew Thor did that on purpose and they thought the would be best not to ask why.

"I thank you all for going to extreme lengths in getting this crown," Thor tells them.

Before he turns to leave, they all look at each other, unsure of whether or not to ask him the question that's burning on all of their minds. This is the first time they have seen or heard from their Asgardian friends since they left for Asgard seven years ago.

"Thor," Daniel calls, "if you don't mind our asking but how are Apollo and Britney doing?"

Thor is silent when he faces them. That's when they realize that they should've just kept quiet but now that the question has been asked, they stand on eggshells waiting for a response.

"I am not sure," Thor responds. "They have changed."

Thor turns around and they all watch as he returns to Asgard. Once he's gone, everyone looks at each other unsure of how to interpret Thor's answer and scared to understand it.

* * *

 **Well, that's a great introduction to Apollo and Britney.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Someone important asks for help...**

 **(remember who I said was coming in chapter 67?)**


	67. Her Request

**By the end of this chapter, you will be happy. Especially all you Sigyn/Xavier shippers.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Thor came to claim the mysterious crown, leaving the team unsettled about Apollo and Britney**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Her Request

Xavier is in the middle of a dream and it is the best dream he has ever had.

It starts off with him as a pre-teen. He rides his bike around the block of his childhood home and everything is bliss except for the fact that he can't see. Or is that the part that makes this bike ride great? Sitting on his bicycle's handlebars is a girl. Her golden hair blows back, blocking his sight and tickling his face.

"Xavier, I have to get home," she told him.

"I am taking you home." He replied. She glared at him. "We're just taking the scenic route."

And when they fall off his bike and she starts laughing, that was the moment when Xavier realized that he has a crush on this girl.

A year or two passed and she disappeared for some odd reason. The rumors around school that circulated were absolutely false despite nobody proving that they were wrong. People always thought the worse and knowing how crazy she was, it was easier to believe.

But then she came back.

The rumors were untrue and he knew that as he looked right into her bright eyes for the first time since she came back. They were both speechless as they stared at each other and he kept that going as he pulled her close and -

Another year or two pass and now he knows that they're in love by the point. She's the only one standing on the streets of New York, facing him with a bright and contagious smile on her face. Suddenly she laughs so hard that she has to bend over and wrap one arm around her cramping sides, the other arm is used to point her laughter at him.

She then stands up straight and starts to run away from him.

"Try to catch me!" She screamed.

He tries to run after her but he can't keep up. He just keeps on watching her run further and further away until -

It's a dark forest. There's fog looming in the air and all the plants around are dead. He's unsure of where he is but suddenly, someone zips by him. He quickly turns around and sees that the person has their back to him and that they stopped running. When they turn around, it hits him.

It's her.

It's her but at the same time, it's not.

It's the young girl he fell in love with but it's also her seven years later.

It's Britney Braun but it's also Sigyn Lokisdottir.

She's sad. She's hurting. _She's scared._

She looks right at him and suddenly he feels uneasy to see her.

"You have to save him," she begs him.

Those words nearly skip his ears because he's too busy looking at her. She has thick, golden blonde hair, and the fine almost translucent complexion that goes with it. She has always been beautiful but not in any regular or classic way. The way he sees her now shows that her beauty is deeper and much more complex than it ever was - as if it was just beginning to discover all its possibilities.

That's what causes him to wake up.

-o-

 _Xavier's Apartment - 3:08 AM_

He wakes up shivering and sweating. Xavier immediately gets up and sits on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands and closing his eyes again. It takes him a while to process what he just dreamt since never in the seven years time did him or any of his friends have a dream with Britney in it. _Never_. Not even a dream with Apollo. They were all truly kept in the dark about how Apollo and Britney were for the past seven years.

That's why he's shivering. Why did a dream with her happen? Why _now_?

Xavier stands up off his bed and leaves the room. He enters one of the spare rooms that he turned into a home gym of sorts with a few machines, weights, and a punching bag. Xavier stretches as a warm-up before wrapping up his hands and facing the punching bag.

He can't just go back to sleep. Not after that dream. He needs to tire himself down to the point where he just blacks out and sleeps.

Something about that dream was haunting and he can't quite figure out which part. Was it the memories that started the dream or that eerie ending?

So he starts punching - punching away that dream, his locked up feelings, his memories, everything - the bag stops moving.

Xavier puts his hands flat on the punching bag and gives it a light push only to see that something must be blocking it from behind which is impossible since it was always free to move around before. Xavier puts his hands on the sides and then feels two cold hands clasp on top.

Then he finds himself holding a dead tree in the middle of the dark forest from his dream instead of his punching bag. The hands are still there and Xavier doesn't move them because he only knows one person who would wear over ten rings on one hand alone. Xavier peeks around the tree, keeping his hands where they are and sees Sigyn standing on the other side. Her head is kept down and against the tree in which her hair is falling over the sides of her face.

"You have to save him," she begs him again.

She lifts her head and looks right into his eyes. Her hypnotizing green eyes stand out in her pale face which is being framed by her golden blonde hair.

"You have to save him," she begs for the third time.

Sigyn lets go of him. She instantly turns around and starts running deeper into the forest.

Xavier watches her run until he blinks and sees himself back in his apartment. He shakes his head, leaving that room. Xavier paces back and forth around his apartment, her words echoing in his head. For a moment, he's thinking to ignore it and just accept the fact that the encounter with Thor spooked him.

But still, why have the dream now and not in the past seven years when he's been missing Britney Braun with all his heart? Why did this happen right after Thor said that she and Apollo might not be okay? Why only have a dream with Britney in it? Why have a dream that consisted of memories and whatever that last part in the forest was? Why did a continuation of the forest dream happen when he was awake? And most important: why did Britney say the same phrase to him three times?

He knows the answer to his own questions - because it wasn't a dream but real. She was telling him or begging him to do something and was just communicating it through a dream.

Xavier knows what he's going to do now. He's going to save him, just like Britney wanted. Xavier knows exactly who she's talking about so he starts packing to go find him. The only problem is that he doesn't know where to start looking.

* * *

 **Aha, yay, Sigyn is here! Most of those dream snippets were from Sigyn's story.**

 **If you're new to this series or you just forgot, Britney Braun and Sigyn Lokisdottir are the same person.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- He's finally coming back but it won't be a happy friendship reunion...**


	68. His Rescue

**_Recap_ \- after a dream, Xavier is off to do what Sigyn told him to do which is to "save him."**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Eight: His Rescue

 _Manhattan, USA - 3:35 AM_

Driving around is easy at 3 AM since there's no traffic due to almost everyone being asleep. Nobody would be awake unless they had a legitimate reason to be. Before Xavier left his apartment, he was hesitating on whether or not to bring a coffee or energy drink with him to stay awake but decided not to since his encounter with Sigyn will suffice as enough power in his system to keep his eyes open. As Xavier drives on the freeway, he hesitates on where he should go first. Sigyn said to save him without any indication as to where he would be. Considering that Sigyn went to him, she would only send him to a place he could go to easily.

That narrows it down to anywhere on Earth.

But there was something about his dream with Sigyn that gave him a clue as to where he should go. Minus the dead forest at the end, the dream played a memory from their past which tells Xavier that maybe he should check out some important places from their teenage years.

Which he dreads.

Xavier is all for saving people and listening to Sigyn, but he didn't want to go down memory lane. It will only remind him of the happiness and love he felt for a girl whom he hasn't seen until that dream which will add onto the sadness and longing for her that he kept bottled inside of him for seven years.

Xavier's first stop is her old house which was sold to a new family when they moved to Asgard. He parks down the street and jogs up to the house. He knows that who he's looking for won't be inside the house with its new tenants since someone in there would've filed a complaint about an unexpected and unwanted visitor. He quickly peeks over the fence and looks into the backyard which is empty.

Xavier runs back to his car and sits there with his hand hovering over the ignition. He looks over to the passenger seat where he imagines Britney Braun sitting there, smiling at him.

"Are you going to start driving or what?" Britney asks him. Then he blinks and he sees Sigyn from his dream. "You have to save him..."

Xavier drives again. This time to his old high school. He parks his car and trots onto the football field and he suddenly feels like the striking quarterback of the football team. He looks out onto the bleachers and he sees his sister as a cheerleader, his friends having no idea what football is but still there for support, and his girlfriend wearing his varsity jacket. As she claps her hands and runs over to him, she suddenly turns into Sigyn from his dream who runs in the dark forest which he now takes as the hint as to him being in the wrong place and wasting time.

Sigyn walks up to him. "You have to save him..."

"Then tell me where the hell to go!" Xavier yells back at a figment of his imagination.

She disappears. Xavier grunts in frustration as he goes back into his car and just sits there.

What if none of this meant anything? What if that dream with Sigyn was nothing more than just a dream?

Maybe he shouldn't be looking at their past relationship. Maybe he should be looking just at the past. His dream began with when he started having a crush on Britney Braun. Maybe he just needed to look back at the start of something else...

-o-

 _JFK Airport - 5:57 AM_

Going through the airport's customs and security early in the morning with nothing but a duffel bag full of random items raises major red flags for the border patrol. Xavier was lucky to have his SHIELD badge on him which helped him just fly right through the process.

With his bag over his shoulder which he's just bringing on board with him as a carry-on, he walks through the airport. A part of him isn't sure if this is where Sigyn wanted him to go but he has yet to see a vision of her saying those five words.

It was also pretty convenient for a flight to his destination to leave thirty minutes after he walked in.

Before he gets on the plane, he texts his team. He hesitates on what to send them since a message like 'Hey, Britney came to me in a dream and as a frequent vision so now I'm on a plane heading somewhere and won't be coming in today.' His friends might believe it but he doesn't want them to call him crazy like her or whatnot. Instead, he tells them that SHIELD is sending him on a classified operation so they can't ask about it.

-o-

 _New Mexico, USA - 8:13 AM_

When he lands in New Mexico, he rents a car and starts driving. As he puts on his sunglasses, he pulls up a map on his phone and starts following it. There has been no eerie Sigyn appearance since he last saw her which he has mixed feelings about. He's glad not to see her since it tells him that he's in the right place but seeing her gives him so much nostalgic joy and pleasure.

He approaches a small town just before the outskirts and parks his car. Xavier steps out and surveys the town that was now made a tourist attraction due to the appearance of Thor's hammer showing up all those years ago. There's even a neon sign that says, _'This way to Thor's hammer!'_ with a small animatronic of the demigod swinging his signature weapon in that direction.

Xavier's in the town that started Earth's awareness of Asgard.

Xavier goes around to every shop, restaurant, and building possible. He even asks anyone he passes. Xavier asks them if they have seen who he's looking for and without a picture of him for reference, it's either that nobody has seen him or know who he's talking about, or worse, they think he's looking for Thor and point him to the attraction. It isn't until the moon has risen and the town emptied that he realizes that it's now dark.

"C'mon..." Xavier mutters, spinning on his heels in the middle of the empty street to find him. Nothing. "Come on!"

"You have to save him..."

Xavier stops spinning around and sees Sigyn standing there. He runs up to her.

"Tell me!" Xavier exclaims to her. "Please..."

She doesn't respond. She only disappears in a cyclone of her own magic. Xavier balls his hands into fists but doesn't know what to do with them. He only lowers them in disappointment in himself.

"Dammit..." He mutters to himself.

Xavier lowers his head and starts heading back into town to find his rental car. Where is he supposed to go now? He has absolutely no idea.

He perks up at the sound of a voice in the distance and finds himself walking closer to it. The closer he gets to the Thor exhibit, the louder the voice it. Xavier approaches the attraction which is supposed to be closed for the day but there is no security around. He sees the actual crater where Thor's hammer landed when it came and the fake hammer replica they put in its place to mimic the event. Xavier looks and sees a hooded man crouched beside the hammer. Even though he hasn't seen his face yet, he knows that he has found his man.

"Hey," Xavier says, approaching him. "You're kind of hard to find unless you were trying not to be found."

The hooded man stands up straight, his back still facing Xavier.

"Midgard is so much different than I remember..." He says. His speaking tone is his Asgardian voice which seems to be more natural now than forced.

"What do you remember?" Xavier asks him. Something about this whole situation makes Xavier feel uneasy and he wonders why he feels as if he should've brought a weapon of some sorts.

"Not much."

The hooded man turns around to face Xavier and the hood falls down. Xavier sees the familiar blue eyes and a full-grown beard. He looks so much more mature yet still the same. Xavier can't help but smile at the sight of an old friend's return.

"Welcome back, Apollo," Xavier says.

Apollo doesn't react the way Xavier expected. Instead, Apollo takes a step closer to Xavier and is bewilderedly confused about seeing him.

"Who are you?" Apollo asks him.

* * *

 **Just FYI, I thought of Apollo coming back with no memory way before Agents of SHIELD did it with Lady Sif. And yes, that episode came out x years ago. I was literally planning this story for years** **.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- How will the reunion between Xavier and a seemingly amnesiac Apollo turn out?**


	69. After All This Time

**_Recap_ \- After looking, Xavier has found Apollo who seems to not know who he is.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Nine: After all This Time

 _New Mexico, USA - 23:36 PM_

Xavier looks at Apollo in shock at that question. Surely, seven years have passed since the two last saw each other but no amount of time could make you forget one of your longest and bestest friends. It's not like Xavier has drastically changed his appearance either. He still looks the same as he did in high school just with seven years of SHIELD training on his body.

"Really?" Xavier asks him. "Who am _I_?"

Apollo's face is blank yet serious.

"It's me, Xavier," he tells him, surprised that he has to introduce himself. Apollo's face needs more information. "Xavier Rogers."

Still nothing.

"We grew up together. We went to school together. We played football and watched sports together. We were - are friends. We're good friends."

Nothing.

"Come on!" Xavier exclaims at him. "Oh, Britney. Britney Braun. You have to know who she is."

Apollo shakes his head.

"Britney!" Xavier yells as if a louder volume will make a difference. "Your cousin, my girlfriend - ex-girlfriend. Whatever."

Apollo backs away and then turns to walk off. Xavier runs up to him.

"You're from Asgard!" Xavier exclaims, getting Apollo's attention again. "Your father is Thor and your mother is Jane. He's a God and she's a mortal. She raised you on Midgard with all of us."

Apollo nods a little. "How do you know any of that?"

"Because I'm trying to tell you that we're friends!"

"Then how come I do not know you?"

"I don't know! What are you doing on Midgard?"

"I do not know."

The two men continue to stare at each other, on their toes as if the other was about to attack. Xavier is begging for something this instance to just whack Apollo into remembering but that's only hopeful thinking. Apollo, on the other hand, balls a hand into a fist which Xavier notices.

"Do you know all this about me because you are a threat?" Apollo asks, his voice ironically threatening.

Xavier holds his hands up warily. "Apollo, I am not a threat. I am your friend."

"I am supposed to believe a man who approached me in the middle of nowhere who apparently knows every detail about my life?"

Xavier takes a breath, knowing how bad this all sounds on his part. "I am not your - "

Xavier is suddenly tackled to the ground by Apollo. The two men hit the ground instantly, Apollo on top. Xavier attempts to push Apollo off but the demigod sends a punch right across his face. Xavier spits, unsure if there was blood in there or not. It's at this moment he realizes that this is different from when they two of them would play-wrestle as kids.

"I have to warn you, I'm a pretty strong puncher," Xavier tells him.

"Are you?"

Xavier punches him and Apollo flicks his head back. Apollo nods impressed a little before flat-out laughing at a pathetic attempt of a punch on him. Xavier doesn't even bother to roll his eyes, especially since one of them is throbbing right underneath where Apollo punched him the first time.

They continue beating each other up like little boys, neither one of them stopping or trying to communicate with one another. This is exactly how they play-wrestled as kids, except with lighthearted punches and throws, unlike this moment which is brutal.

Xavier grunts as he lands on his back. He tries to get up but Apollo steps on his back, forcing him to stay down. Xavier turns his head and looks at Apollo holding his hand up towards the sky.

"Oh," Xavier mumbles, "son of a - "

The night sky fills with thunder and lightning but to both of their surprises, Apollo is the one to fall over. Xavier looks the other way and sees Angela holding a taser gun with the rest of his friends behind her.

-o-

His head aches. He ignores the throbbing pain from whatever sent him to the ground as he gets up in the cold darkness and dry air. One of his hands brushes across his soft beard as he begins to sway back and forth from sudden nausea. Underneath his anger, he feels like crying but no tears come out. He can't remember anything that happened before he got here - he barely remembers facts about himself.

He remembers that his name is Apollo, he came from Asgard where his parents are the King and Queen, and he has a lightning-summoning ax but has no clue where it is right now. That's all his memory could retain at this current moment. Everything else is nothing but blurs and jagged memories.

Once consciousness arises for him again, he sees other people. There's the one he just beat up, a girl who looks like the one he just beat up, a redhead with an archery set, a boy with glowing hands, and two brunets huddled close together. They all look at him strangely but with recognition. If they're talking to him then he can't hear a thing but by the way, their mouths are moving, they're saying his name.

They know him but he doesn't know them.

But then a memory comes back - _it has a sorceress. She fires her magic at him and he could feel all of his thoughts and memories escaping him at that exact moment._

"Where is she?!" Apollo yells at them, all of their hands hovering over their weapons.

One of the six, he can't tell which one, tries to talk and reason with him. He takes his own head into his hand and everything goes black for him.

-o-

Fear, pain, and sorrow run through his body as Xavier looks at Apollo lying on the ground, seeming lifeless. He could guess that Apollo's looking for Britney too, but Apollo doesn't even remember who Britney is. Xavier softly bites down on his bottom lips and tastes blood as he turns around to face his friends.

"I had all of that under control," Xavier says as Daniel helps him up.

"Of course you did," Merida replies sarcastically, "just like Apollo controlled the lightning he was going to use to blow you up."

Xavier narrows his eyes at her as Daniel quickly bandages his split lip and gives him an ice pack for his eye. Emily kneels beside an unconscious Apollo with James behind her as she gets his vitals. She nods at all the normal results.

"No offense but Apollo totally wrecked you," Emily says to Xavier.

Xavier narrows his eyes at her. Everyone turns to now see Emily poking Apollo's bicep just for fun and pleasure.

Emily gasps. "It's like a cement block. Holy hell this is a sight. I think he was going easy on you."

"Em, please, stop talking," Xavier replies annoyed.

"Sorry. Sometimes I wish I could keep my mouth shut."

Xavier pats her back with his free hand. He's kind of mad at himself for how the whole encounter with Apollo went. He has one thing - five words - to do and this is the result.

"Can we please go _at least_ twenty-four hours without one of us getting mortally wounded?" Daniel asks.

Merida scoffs. "Have you met us? Look at how we greeted Apollo and how he greeted Xavier."

One being unconscious due to tasering and the other beaten up by the first guy.

"What are you guys doing here?" Xavier asks them, changing the topic.

"SHIELD sent us on a classified mission," Angela replies.

Xavier looks at Angela who's already crossing her arms at him, disappointed. He sees right through her lie since that was the story he told them when he came here. That, and she's a bad liar like him even when doing so on purpose.

"I can explain," Xavier tells him.

"I'm going to get some popcorn because this better be good."

Xavier huffs at her. "Britney appeared in my dream. At first, it was just memories of us and then it turned into her presently, telling me to save him." He points at Apollo. "I kind of ignored it at first when I woke up in the middle of the night but she kept on telling me to save him. I know it was just a dream but she just kept on appearing and I really felt like it was her somehow. So I just left to get him."

The team is silent. The wind picks up and Angela's face softens completely.

"Britney was in my dream too," Angela admits. "Different memories, I'm sure, but the same ending."

Xavier looks at the others and they're all nodding in agreement. Britney was telling all of them to get Apollo but he was the only one who saw it as more than just a dream.

"He doesn't remember me," Xavier says. "He doesn't remember Midgard at all."

"That hurts," James replies, not taking in the seriousness of this situation. "Just for that, I'm glad we gave him a shitty welcome back party."

* * *

 **There's one more chapter left before I'm stopping for the summer.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Now that Apollo is on Midgard, is he alright? And will the others find out why he's shown up with any memory of them?**


	70. Now He Returns

**I was actually going to stop the daily updates for the summer with the last chapter but I got super bored one day so I just typed this up. Besides, ending on chapter 70 sounds so much better than 69.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Apollo's back from Asgard but he has no memory of his friends.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy: Now He Returns

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 4:36 AM_

The ride back from New Mexico had the most uncomfortable silence between the group. If asked earlier how they would react when Apollo came back, they would be over-the-moon excited to each other after all this time. But now they're all sitting apart in a quinjet, looking at an unconscious and amnesiac Apollo who lies on the floor. They took him back to SHIELD since that was a more familiar setting for them than a hospital. As Angela, Xavier, Merida, and James were going to deal with the Council and their inevitable slew of questions, Emily and Daniel were going to bring Apollo to the recovery room.

Emily and Daniel place Apollo on a hospital bed and take off his shirt in order to attach electrodes to his chest which will provide his vital scans. Emily is wowed by Apollo's abs because he certainly became the standard demigod buff over the course of seven years.

Emily pokes Apollo's pecs and gasps. "I think I broke a nail."

Daniel doesn't comment.

"His beard also looks nice," Emily says, gently feeling how soft it is.

Daniel stares at her. He's not jealous or anything like that, he's only bothered by Emily at the moment.

Emily puts her hands up defensively. "What? He looks great and I'm not a real doctor so what did you expect? Maybe you should try growing a beard."

"No," Daniel states.

Emily crosses her arms. "Why are you so tense?"

"The same reason why you're so relaxed."

Emily looks at Daniel as he checks Apollo's vitals. He's tense and she's not because they're both scared. Emily rubs her hands on her jeans and Daniel looks up for a moment and sees Emily quiet. He'd rather have a talkative Emily than a scared one, even if her words were masking her fright and all about how handsome Apollo is.

"These scans show that Apollo is fine physically - " Daniel starts, looking up for a moment to see Emily raising her eyebrows to that statement. He smirks a little and rolls his eyes. "Something definitely happened mentally. I think that's a given. If only he came under better circumstances with a full functioning memory. He didn't even recognize us."

Emily perks up. "I got it! Maybe there was some crazy wicked party on Asgard and Apollo has a hangover."

They both know that isn't it, but that doesn't stop them from laughing at the little light humor to help them get through this medical examination.

-o-

"Daniel, I think he's waking up!"

"Hey, Apollo, how are you? Emily, check his heart rate."

Apollo's eyes open and adjust to the room he's in. Apollo looks at the two people with him, non-responsive. He does recognize them from when he beat up Xavier back in the desert which he doesn't understand why he's no longer there. Where is he?

The woman, Emily (whom he only knows because of the man, Daniel, who said her name), runs over to the other side of his bed to look at the machines next to him. Apollo glances over and sees that the machines are connected to him. His heart rate spikes and he looks at Daniel only to see him leaning over restraints that are keeping him in place.

"Apollo, calm down," Daniel tells him.

"Do not tell me to calm down!" Apollo screams back.

Apollo doesn't have to flex to break his arms free from the restraints. When his arm flies out, it hits Emily and she falls over with medical supplies toppling on top of her. Apollo leaps out of the bed and looms over Daniel who's now shaking. Apollo grabs Daniel by the neck and slams him against the wall. Daniel wraps his hands around Apollo's wrist as his feet are being lifted from the floor. Apollo tightens his grip on Daniel's neck and Daniel winces to which doesn't even faze Apollo.

"Please, Apollo," Daniel gasps out, "don't do this."

"What reason do you have for me to spare your life?" Apollo asks, menacingly.

"A pretty good one."

To Apollo's surprise, Daniel's eyes turn bright green. Apollo's grip tightens as his mind flashes with a memory containing -

 _"Help them," she whispered into his ear. "They need you."_

 _Apollo ran over to where he sees his faceless friends in the midst of a raging green monster. As the beast raises his arms to attack his friends, Apollo dives onto his knees and slides across the floor. He raises his own arms above his head and feels the wind being knocked out of him as the monster's forearm hits his own._

 _"C'mon, Daniel!" He screamed at the green beast. "Snap out of this!"_

Daniel. The man he's holding against the wall is the same Daniel who's the green beast in that flashback.

Apollo suddenly drops Daniel to the floor. Daniel squirms on all fours, coughing for air. Emily rises up from behind with a syringe in her hands. She climbs on top of the hospital bed and administers a sedative in Apollo's neck. Apollo quickly turns around and knocks her off the bed. Emily keeps her balance on the wall as Apollo staggers. She steps off the bed and holds Apollo in place with trembling arms as she puts him back in the bed to rest again. He looks at Emily who holds his chin up with one hand and shines a flashlight in his eye with the other one. In the light, Apollo sees her scared face and a shining jewel on her finger. The longer he looks at that gem, he remembers -

 _Getting a good view of her hand the first time the ring was placed on it. The girls already squealed so much already and it was now the boys' turn to see what all the fuss was about. Looking at the ring made them understand why even though they don' t care much for jewelry. The emerald glowed just as much of Emily who was more than overjoyed to be engaged to Daniel._

 _"Christ, Daniel," Apollo said to him, "that's a ring. Did you rob a bank or something?"_

Emily is engaged to Daniel. That fact is now remembered. He choked Emily's fiancé and now he's on the floor and she has tears streaming down her face.

"I am sorry, Emily..." Apollo mutters.

Emily nods her head. "It's alright."

Apollo blacks out.

-o-

As Apollo rests and stabilizes again, Emily throws the used syringe she used on the ground as she circles the hospital bed to check up on Daniel. He's hunched over on the floor, still shaking. He looks up at her and his eyes are still green. Emily's on her toes, hoping that he won't transform since now would be a bad time for a surprise Hulk.

"Babe..." Emily mutters cautiously.

"Don't worry," he tells her. His voice is scratchy from when Apollo was crushing his neck. "I'm just startled from what happened."

"Good," Emily responds softly, also shaken from what just happened.

Emily pulls Daniel up to his feet with both her hands. Once he's steady, she wipes her wet cheeks with her sleeves, careful for her makeup. Daniel reaches for a glass of water and drinks the whole glass as his eyes turn back to brown. They both look at Apollo who looks like he'll be out for a few more hours which is what they hope for.

"He actually looked like he was going to kill me," Daniel mumbles to her.

"I think you triggered a memory the moment your eyes turned green," Emily says.

"I'd hate to ask which one..."

* * *

 **That Hulk memory was from the graduation arc in Emily's and Britney's stories. Come to think of it, this was a better place to end the daily updates (I'm laughing evilly to myself right now). I am going to back to school tomorrow and even though I hate it, I have to update this story slower to actually study.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will happen when Apollo wakes up again? What other memories will come his way?**


	71. What Have You Done?

**First week of school done and I already want to die. Great.  
**

 ** _Recap_ \- Apollo's currently in the hospital bed, having troubles with his memory and his flashbacks.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-One: What Have You Done?

When Apollo wakes up again, he finds himself lying in the same hospital bed as before. His head aches at the base of his skull like someone had been drilling there. He turns his head to one side - away from the ache - and sees that she's sitting in the chair next to his bed; her arms crossed against her chest, one leg crossed over the other, back straight against the chair, and piercing green eyes locked on him.

Apollo tries to say her name, but he isn't sure what to say. He only knows her as the sorceress from his memories, the one who brought him here.

"I am waiting..." She says to him as if she's on a schedule. She plays with the many rings on her fingers before meeting his eyes which causes a sudden chill to run down his spine. "My life will end soon."

"No..." Apollo mutters, that response feeling automatic for unknown reasons. Then her name comes to him. "Sigyn, I do not want that."

He doesn't know why he's saying those words because he doesn't know what she's talking about or who she is. However, saying those words as a response feels right.

"We do not have a choice," Sigyn says to him. "We tried and tried for years but there is nothing we can do. I thought my part of the prophecy was as bad as it got but it got worse as time passed. I could not stop your nightmares or your visions but they will only make you powerful when you truly need them. You do not have to remember everything, only who your target it."

"Am I safe here?"

"You are with people who only have pure intentions for you. It is up to you whether or not you want to stay with them."

"How can I trust you if I do not know you?"

"I swear it on my _death_." Her eyes narrow and a laugh begins simmering from her. "Besides, dear Apollo, they gave my crown back to me."

Sigyn holds out her hands and The Serpent Crown appears in her magic. Apollo feels his body go cold as Sigyn gently traces the snakes' scales with her fingertips. Everything felt right up until that crown appeared. Sigyn closes her eyes as she puts the crown on her head. Apollo doesn't know what's going on and it scares him. He doesn't remember everything he should but he knows that something is wrong, terribly wrong with seeing this.

The crown on Sigyn's head glows and when Sigyn opens her eyes, they're solid white and her laugh is now echoing. Apollo wants to scream but nobody will hear him over her laugh.

-o-

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 11:11 AM_

It's the pain in Apollo's head mixed with that frightening laugh from his dream that wakes him up. It stabs him down from the crown of his skull, shooting all the way down to the deep interior of his brain. Even the follicles of his hair hurt as he runs a sore hand through it. His skin burns and the nerves behind his eyes are bulging.

It all hurts too much. He can't take it anymore.

He's Asgardian and still has his powers but why is he in so much pain? He blames Sigyn since she caused all this but keeps it to himself.

The world is still blurry, dark around the edges, lighter in the center. Apollo tries to see, waiting for something to focus on. He tries to move but his body feels heavy and sluggish. His mind wants to go back into the darkness it emerged from.

He finally sees a blurry face covered in short blonde hair sitting in the chair next to him with her head kept down. He isn't sure if it's Xavier or Sigyn because she almost looks like the both of them.

"How do you feel?" She asks him.

Apollo looks at her as she waits for an answer he'll never get. The woman's face is sweet and comforting which makes him at ease.

"I'm Angela," she introduces.

"Angela..." Apollo mutters back. He then sees _a cheerleader with the brightest smile and the peppiest attitude. Her positivity outshines any negativity as she beams out towards all her friends._

"Yeah," Angela says, nodding her head. "Xavier's twin."

"And a cheerleader."

"Once upon a time."

Apollo nods. For the first time in a while, he feels truly relaxed. Angela quickly fixes her hair as she stands up to check his pulse and vitals to make sure everything's alright which it is. She still looks shaken by his presence but she still wears a smile across her face. He believes that's only for his benefit.

"How are Emily and Daniel?" Apollo asks, remembering what happened earlier.

"Fine," Angela replies. "I think they're just taking a nap or something. We're all taking shifts on keeping you company."

"Or making sure I do not attack anyone."

Angela raises an eyebrow at him, not commenting on that statement because it's true. "Do you want tea?"

"I do not like tea," Apollo replies.

"Well, what do you like?"

"Not tea."

Angela scoffs with a small smile. She goes into a cooler by her chair and searches through it for something that isn't tea for Apollo. The only option is water or ice chips. She picks the water.

"May I ask you something?" Apollo asks Angela as he forces himself to sit up in the hospital bed.

"Anything," Angela replies.

"Why did you give Sigyn back The Serpent Crown?"

Angela drops the water bottle at the unexpected question. She picks it up slowly, trying to think of something to say but nothing comes to her. Now, Angela is the one unable to answer. She straightens her shoulders as she sits down on the chair across from him and puts the water bottle on the side table. Angela rests her elbows on the side of Apollo's bed and scoots her chair closer to him. Her hands are pressed together and she points them at Apollo.

"Apollo," Angela states, "we did not give Sigyn the crown. Your father got it."

"How did you know it was truly him?"

The thing is, she doesn't. Angela hopes that Apollo doesn't notice her hesitation at his point.

"Why would Sigyn do such a thing?" Angela asks him. "Why didn't she just get the crown herself instead of having SHIELD make us dive to the bottom of the ocean? Why bother come disguised as Thor when she could just show up as herself? Why didn't she just steal the crown from us when we hid it from SHIELD? Do you even remember who Sigyn is?"

Apollo shrugs. "She is just a sorceress playing with my mind. I do not trust what she has planned or what she is doing."

Angela just goes along with Apollo's statements despite her strong want to oppose every single one of them. Back then, Angela would trust Sigyn with her life and she knows that Apollo would do the same. Now, everything seems extremely different.

"Where is Sigyn?" Angela asks.

"I do not know," Apollo replies.

"What does she have planned?"

"I do not know."

Angela hesitates on whether or not to tell him that Sigyn appeared in their dreams to tell them to get him. She decides to keep it to herself since she and Apollo aren't on the same page about The Serpent Crown and its whereabouts. Then again, she isn't one to argue with her amnesiac friend. Who knows, maybe Sigyn's plan was for them to get Apollo.

"You have some memories, right?" Angela asks him.

Apollo nods. "A few."

"None of us have seen or heard from you in seven years and now you're here with memories of us only because they _came_ to you."

"And so?"

"What have you done?"

Apollo shudders, unsure.

* * *

 **Do you think Sigyn has a plan? If so, a good one or a bad one?**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- The team tries to figure out why Apollo is here with no memories just as he reconnects with them.**


	72. A Kiss to Remember

**HELLO, 100,000 WORDS! I'm glad you came since school is actually killing me.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After checking up on Apollo, Angela learns that he believes they gave the crown to Sigyn which begs the questions on what exactly the crown is.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Two: A Kiss to Remember

 _Location Classified - 7:40 AM_

To Xavier's surprise, the Council isn't mad at him for skipping work which is what he expected to happen once they found out, which they did. Maybe it was because of the reason why he skipped and lied about it as to why they were being soft. They are obviously more focused on Apollo showing up than Xavier making something up (a part of him is grateful for that).

 _Council: How did you know Apollo was coming?_

"He sent a raven," Xavier replies.

Xavier was joking but judging by the skeptical faces of the Council, they didn't catch that. He decides it to be best if he kept quiet about his joke given the gravity of the situation. Hopefully, the Council doesn't believe him and chooses not to further question him about an unnecessary raven. Either way, he won't know what to say, especially if they ask about Sigyn. He's already lied on oath to protect Daniel and now more of his friends are on the line.

 _Council: And what about his cousin, the Lokisdottir? Any ravens from her?_

Xavier isn't sure if they're serious about the ravens or not. "...no."

 _Council: Is she possibly up to something in her nature?_

It takes Xavier a minute to process what the Council said but only a second for him to be offended by it.

"In her _nature?_ " Xavier repeats. "Please elaborate on what you meant by that because the fact that she's Loki's daughter doesn't mean she's up to any criminal activity. Do you think that just because my team and I followed in our parents' path she would do the same? That is an accusation far - "

 _Council: Settle down, Captain Rogers, you aren't her defense attorney._

"Then don't be her opposing prosecution."

The Council is uneasy because they whipped Xavier in his weak spot the moment they started asking about her. They should have seen this attitude coming but since it's from Xavier out of all people, they have no idea how to act or respond to it.

 _Council: Back to our original question, do you know if the Lokisdottir is up to something?_

"I haven't heard from her in seven years," Xavier replies.

That's the only part which hurts about this whole situation. Yes, he had the dream with Sigyn in it followed by a series of hallucinations but the whole thing just felt fake.

 _Council: You are dismissed._

Xavier looks up at them and realizes that they're letting him go without answering their question.

-o-

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 12:53 PM_

Angela sits with James on one of the lounge's couches while Merida is on a nearby armchair. From the outside, they're all relaxed and calm when in reality they're still pretty startled by what's happening right now. SHIELD isn't assigning them any mission until they're steady with the whole Apollo situation.

"Apollo said we gave the crown to Sigyn," Angela tells them.

"No we didn't," James says.

"I told him that but I don't think he believed me. He almost seemed sure that we gave it to her."

"So what if we might have given it to Sigyn," Merida says. "What was that crown anyways? Did he say?"

Angela shakes her head.

"Who knows and at this point, who cares," James says.

"I'm just happy that Apollo hasn't beaten me up," Angela says optimistically.

Merida and James nod to that. Apollo hasn't been here for a long time and out of their whole group, he's already beaten up Xavier, Daniel, and Emily. Then again, Apollo just got here and one of them could be next.

"I wouldn't stress much on what Apollo says," Merida says. "Maybe he just had a bullshit dream with Sigyn in it."

"Remember when we had a _'bullshit dream'_ with Sigyn in it?" Angela questions. "Now look at what we're dealing with."

Merida is left speechless for a moment. She didn't put their whole Sigyn dream into this new perspective about them not being dreams until now.

"Maybe we should just let Apollo rest," Merida suggests. Nobody is used to her speaking so gently. "Look, he just got here and is kinda screwed-up but I say we leave him to rest. Okay, I'm not talking about a full-on hibernation. Maybe he just needs to breathe like the rest of us."

Angela sighs. "Aside from that, I think it's good that Apollo is aware of Sigyn minus the whole cousin relationship they have. We should probably address her as Britney if we ever need to talk about her without Apollo questioning. I doubt that he knows who Britney is if Sigyn is foggy."

Merida and James agree. Now, they just have to inform the others. But if Apollo somehow knows who Britney is then their plan is ruined.

Merida's phone chimes and she looks down at it. "It's Daniel. He and Emily just released Apollo from the medical ward since he was getting bored and annoyed in there."

Angela's phone chimes. "I'm getting called down to train recruits."

Angela gets up to leave but James holds her back. She notices his grip and feels his arm since something seems different to her.

"Babe, are you working out?" Angela questions. "Your shirt is tight around your bicep."

"I sure am."

James flexes for her. Angela swoons and Merida rolls her eyes. Even in times like this, flirting would always be present.

"I bet ten bucks that you bought your shirt a size too small just to get laid," Merida says.

James glares at her. What she said may or may not have been true. Angela snickers as Apollo approaches the entrance of the lounge wearing extra SHIELD civvies. He looks at Merida as she watches Angela and James share a quick kiss before Angela scurries out. She waved to Apollo on her way out.

Apollo waves back and suddenly remembers - _smiling warmly as Merida is disgusted by all the love surrounding her._

 _"Excuse me," she said, getting up from her seat._

 _"Where are you going?" James asked her._

 _"Somewhere I can get a fork and stab my eyes out."_

 _"Hold on," Angela said, stopping Merida._

 _Angela winked at James and they both stand up on opposite sides of Merida. Merida is suspicious of what they're doing but before she could make a run for it, Angela and James give Merida a kiss on both her cheeks. As the two of them sit down and laugh, Merida is frozen before she screams her lungs out._

Apollo approaches Merida and puts a hand on her forehead. Merida stares up at him oddly and James turns over with his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?" Merida asks him.

"Are you ill?" Apollo asks her instead.

"What?" She swats his hand away from her forehead. "No. Why would you think that?"

"The Merida I remember did not tolerate emotions, especially public displays of affection. You did not react when Angela and James kissed just a moment ago."

Merida isn't sure what to say back.

"Did you happen to meet someone in my absence?" Apollo questions, interested in knowing the answer.

"Bye!"

Merida runs out before anyone could stop her. Apollo is confused as James laughs in the background. Apollo turns to him for some sort of explanation to Merida's reaction and sudden exit.

"Merida's love life is as good as your memory," James tells him.

"That bad?" Apollo questions.

"I was going for non-existent."

Apollo nods and then looks at James. James notices and thinks that he remembers their time together back in the day.

"Do you remember me?" James asks him.

Apollo shakes his head and James is silent until Apollo smiles.

"I kid, I kid." Apollo laughs. "I do remember you."

James smiles.

"I wish the opposite."

James narrows his eyes, especially since Apollo didn't say he was kidding.

* * *

 **I can't promise that the next chapter will be out next week because like I said, school is killing me. I do have it written in a kind-of script format but it will take a while to actually put up. That and I have two other stories in progress as of right now.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Apollo remember who Sigyn is? Will the mention of the name Britney ring any bells for him?**


	73. Unwinding in Progress

**To answer the question about Sigyn and The Serpent Crown, no, it will not turn her into a giant snake. Sigyn doesn't need a crown to do that since she's got all the magic in the world.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Will Apollo remember who Britney is or will she forever become a mystery?**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Three: Unwinding in Progress?

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 3:04 AM_

Apollo wakes up and is unsure of what time it is until he gets a look at a flashing clock above the doorway he walks through. Even at this hour, SHIELD is incredibly busy. Thousands of agents are working around the clock, keeping tabs on every square inch of the world.

Apollo should've been sleeping, but after countless hours of staring up at shadows on blank walls, he'd finally given up and needed some kind of distraction. _Any_ kind of distraction. One good enough to chase away the thoughts that plague his brain. He doesn't really know where he's going since he's unfamiliar with the area and can't find his friends so he decides to ask an approaching agent.

"Excuse me - ?" Apollo starts before suddenly stopping himself.

The agent he asks looks up at him and Apollo no longer sees just another SHIELD agent. The uniform disappears in green magic and becomes a matching dress as the agent looks up. Apollo is silent as he sees the agent becomes Sigyn with tears coming out of her eyes and the nearby strands of her hair are damp because of them. She looks completely empty, as if the life has already been drained out of her. If anything, she looks dead.

"We are both going to have to accept it..." Sigyn mutters to him. "My time is running out."

"No..." Apollo responds.

Again, he doesn't exactly know what he's declining.

"You have to accept it," she continues.

"No!"

He isn't sure why he's yelling but it feels like the right answer.

Sigyn's face is now serious. "You have to remember who the real enemy is."

"Who is it?!" He asks.

"Dammit Apollo!"

Sigyn suddenly becomes angry as The Serpent Crown forms on her head. Her brows furrow as her features sharpen and her eyes turn opaquely white. Sigyn raises an arm, about to strike him and he squints his eyes shut as he cowers. When nothing comes, Apollo opens one eye to peek at Sigyn but he only sees a scared SHIELD agent.

"I apologize..." Apollo says quickly as he scurries off.

-o-

After wandering around for quite some time, Apollo finally enters a lounge where the lights are on. He walks in and sees Xavier sitting on a couch with his laptop. Apollo suddenly stops walking mid-step.

Xavier glances up from his laptop as Apollo tilts his head towards him and stares at him blankly. Tears are in Apollo eyes. Apollo - crying. It shocks Xavier more than running into him in the middle of nowhere seven years after last seeing him. He realizes that Apollo has changed so much from high school. Apollo was someone who didn't care about anything and would just shrug it off. Now, Xavier sees someone sad and broken and he doesn't know how to help.

What happened in the seven years to cause this?

"Apollo..." Xavier mutters. "What is it?"

"I do not know," Apollo replies, looking away. "One moment, I was probably in Asgard and then I was at that exhibit with little to no memories."

"You remembered some things."

"Useless things."

Awkward and tense silence. Apollo puts his hands in his pockets as Xavier closes his laptop and puts it on the coffee table.

"Couldn't sleep?" Apollo asks, changing the topic to something much more casual.

"How could you tell?" Xavier questions.

"Because you are awake."

Xavier should've seen that coming but frankly he can't keep up with all this anymore. He only shrugs it off.

"Why are you still awake?" Xavier asks him.

Apollo shrugs this, taking a seat on the other end of the couch before sliding on the cushion. He sits back, running a stressed hand through his hair before settling on his beard.

"I need to know the reasons for why I am having flashbacks, why I do not have my memories in the first place," Apollo replies honestly. "I want to know what I do not remember. I need answers and I need them now."

Xavier doesn't respond mostly because he doesn't know how. Maybe there was something safe about not knowing, maybe there was something Apollo shouldn't know which is why he doesn't remember anything. That would also explain why his family in Asgard seems to just be leaving him here. The scary question is what could that possibly be and did he really want to find out?

"Hey," Apollo says to Xavier, "are we good?"

"Yeah," Xavier replies. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because I victoriously used my own power against you."

In all honestly, Xavier forgot that Apollo beat him up and was now never going to go a day without being reminded of that. But he was finally having a normal-seeming conversation with Apollo so this screams that progress is being made in some way.

"We're good," Xavier says with a grin.

Apollo smiles a little.

"Are you hungry?" Xavier asks.

"I guess."

Xavier gets up and goes into a cupboard. He pulls out a box that's covered in dust. Xavier blows the filth off and rubs off the excess, cleaning his hands on his pants. A bright and animated box is revealed which Xavier rips open to pull out two individually wrapped aluminum rectangular packets. He hands one to Apollo and keeps one to himself. Apollo looks at the strange item skeptically.

"They're not expired if that's what you're worried about," Xavier tells him. "I'm sure that the expiration date is there just for shelving and health reasons."

"What are they?"

On a normal day, Xavier would be stunned that Apollo said that. But given his memory's state right now, he's forgiven. Basically, every statement is now fragile.

"Pop-Tarts," Xavier tells him with a small smile on his face.

Apollo gasps as if all the air has been sucked out of him. "I have not had those in years!"

Apollo rips open the package and shoves the pastries in his mouth. He groans in delight as he takes the rest of the box for himself. Xavier laughs a little as he takes a bite out of his.

"So, you remember what pop-tarts are but not any of us?" Xavier jokes.

"I think my memories are prioritized," Apollo responds with a small laugh.

As Apollo enjoys his artificial-sugar induced euphoria, he can't help but notice something uneasy with Xavier. He stops eating for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Apollo asks him.

Xavier scoffs a little. "You're the one who came back from Asgard with no memory and has fallen unconscious at least ten times in the span of 24 hours and you're asking me if I'm alright?"

Apollo nods. Xavier looks at him for a bit before sighing and sitting on the countertop.

"I feel as if I've been coiled up for seven years and I'm just unwinding now," Xavier confesses.

"Why?"

"A girl."

"Who?"

"Britney Braun."

"You mentioned that name when I first came."

Xavier nods, surprised that Apollo remembered that.

"Do I know her?" Apollo wonders.

Xavier shrugs. If Apollo doesn't know Sigyn what are the chances of him knowing who Britney is?

"May I see a picture of her?"

Xavier is hesitant at first because of what Angela said about him not remembering who Sigyn is exactly but he decides to show him a picture. It's a picture from their senior prom, where Xavier stands with Apollo and Britney is in the middle of them with Apollo's date beside him. All of them are laughing and smiling. Apollo looks at the photo and -

 _"I'm so proud of you!" Britney exclaimed, tugging on Xavier's arm. Her voice had a hint of sarcasm in it._

 _Xavier pulled her close. He looked down at her with so much passion and love as the plastic crown sitting on his head glows in the light._

 _"I'd say that crown is something," Apollo said to Xavier, standing on Britney's other side so that she was sandwiched in. "Maybe it'd be more meaningful if it was authentic and not from the dollar store."_

 _Xavier scoffed. "I thought you were going to compare it to your future Asgardian one."_

 _Apollo laughed wholeheartedly. "Now that would be impolite."_

 _"And insulting this crown is mannerful?"_

 _Apollo laughs._

 _"I want a crown..." Britney muttered._

 _She reached up and took Xavier's crown from his head. Before she got the chance to put it on herself, she_ \- morphs into Sigyn and sighs with satisfaction knowing that The Serpent Crown is now in her hands.

Apollo shudders a little as he comes back to reality. Now, he can't help but think that Sigyn infected his memories as well which is really all he had left at this point - so could he really trust what he thought seemed reliable?

"Britney looks like Sigyn," is all Apollo can say.

Apollo traces Britney's face in the photo, trying to take in that memory as his own but he can't without a glimpse of Sigyn with the Serpent Crown peeping though. Xavier looks at Apollo, hoping that his own statement solves itself but it doesn't. Sadly for Apollo, he only sees Britney as a girl he doesn't remember at all.

"Aside from Britney," Xavier says, "do you remember who your date is?"

Apollo looks at his date in the photo. A dark-haired beauty in a red dress, linking arms with his own. Then he realizes that he has no beard in the photo which strikes him as odd since his beard feel like an extra and vital limb to him. He almost doesn't believe that he's the one in the photo standing beside the dark-haired beauty.

"She is from Asgard," Apollo says about the beauty.

Xavier nods. "James, Daniel, and I were all blown away by her."

Apollo smiles. For a reason he doesn't quite understand, that makes him feel proud.

"You don't remember Freya, do you?"

"I do not," he replies, only assuming that the dark-haired beauty is Freya.

Xavier sighs. "You will eventually. Maybe you just need to see her again."

"I think the same applies to your Britney."

Xavier scoffs.

"You will find each other," Apollo tells Xavier from the bottom of his heart. "Even though I do not remember her at the moment, I know that you will find each other because she is definitely the person you are meant to be with."

* * *

 **Sigyn will be coming back in the story and be more than just flashbacks. As for now, put her on the back burner of your mind. Just imagine Xavier's reaction when he sees what's happened to her.**

 **As for now, the next chapters will be some story arcs where someone else will be coming back. She was in the story way earlier. I didn't even realize how long ago it was until now.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Where are SHIELD's deadliest and most dangerous prisoners kept?**


	74. Escaping SHIELD Island Part One

**Just reminding you that this is a new story arc.**

 **Also, do not expect weekly updates since school and two other stories is a lot.**

 ** _Copyright_ : Marathon (Totally Spies)**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Four: Escaping SHIELD Island Part One

 _Somewhere Over the Pacific Ocean - 21:17 PM_

Iqadi sits in the pilot's seat of the jet, looking ahead at the horizon. Once her jet is steady in the air, she takes a relieving breath as she relaxes. From this point forwards, it should be an easy flight to America.

"I am now putting the jet on auto-pilot. How are you doing?" She asks Imanu who she is keeping in contact with through an audio system on the jet.

 _Imanu: What do you mean? I am fine._

Iqadi smirks to herself. "My parents have left for South Africa and since I am not in Wakanda either, you are in charge of the country on your own which you feared on our wedding day."

 _Imanu: That was seven years ago._

"And has anything changed?"

No response. Iqadi smiles to herself again for getting her husband and leaving him speechless. Her father once told her that the key to a happy marriage is balancing each other out (even though he argues that her mother was and still is all-things perfection). Within the seven years, Iqadi and Imanu have been happy with the occasional sadness appearing.

There's still no answer from him.

At this point, it isn't silent because of marital lack of communication or because Imanu is much too proud to admit his flaws (which he isn't). Iqadi doesn't know why it's silent which scares her.

"Imanu?" She calls for.

Still nothing.

Her heart stops a little since her first thought is that something dangerous is happening to him on his end. A flash blinds her eyes. Something could be happening to him right now and she's here flying away from Wakanda. Iqadi's first instinct is to turn the jet around and return to her country but that's when she realizes that the problem is on her end since her altitude level is dropping. Unsure of what is going on, Iqadi attempts to reprogram her jet but nothing is working for some reason.

"Imanu!" Iqadi exclaims. "Do you read?!"

No response.

As a last minute plan to steady her jet, Iqadi turns her eyes white and fills the sky with the strongest winds to carry herself. Lightning fills the sky as she looks out ahead and sees an island in the middle of the ocean. Iqadi takes a breath and can only hope for the best.

-o-

 _Wakanda - 19:19 PM_

"Iqadi?!" Imanu exclaims from Wakanda's control center.

There is nothing coming back but static.

Imanu curses under his breath in his dialect as he paces around the room, remaining as calm as he can. He quickly goes on the computer he was using to keep in contact with Iqadi and opens the jet's flight path. He follows the screen's dotted line from Wakanda up to where it suddenly stops which is where he assumes Iqadi's jet went out. He clicks and the screen zooms in on an aerial view of an island.

Imanu sits back and thinks for a minute. He knows that if Iqadi's jet was going down, she would have to have crashed-landed it somewhere and this is the only place she could've done so. Imanu clicks, deciding to use satellite footage to view the island in hopes of seeing Iqadi's jet and hopefully her alive.

As he continues zooming in, he eventually gets blocked out. Imanu looks at the screen and sees a SHIELD logo in his way.

Imanu sits back and takes a deep breath. This makes everything harder than it should be.

-o-

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 9:33 AM_

The team all sits in the lounge, waiting for their next assignment. The agents are all reading report on their laptops while Emily is answering emails on her own laptop, and Apollo is giving her shoulders a massage. (Apollo was so bored that he actually _offered_ the massage and Emily wasn't going to let this possibly rare opportunity go to waste. That, and his massages were so relaxing since his muscles were so strong). All of them look up at the entrance as an escort agent walks in.

"Sorry for intruding," the agent says, "but you have an important visitor who urgently needs to see you."

"Thank you," Xavier responds. "Send them in."

The agent nods and opens an arm outwards. Imanu enters gives thanks as the agent bows his head for possibly the fiftieth time. Everyone else rises in shock to see him here since they weren't expecting him at all. As they go to greet him, Apollo looks at Emily and she already knows why he's confused.

"That's Imanu," Emily says, enunciating every syllable in his name. "Iqadi's husband, Prince of Wakanda."

Apollo says nothing mostly because the name 'Iqadi' doesn't even ring any bells in his head. Emily sympathetically pats his shoulder.

"It'll come to you someday," Emily reassures. "Hopefully."

She and Apollo go to greet Imanu in a series of hugs and handshakes. The others already informed him about Apollo's unknown amnesia which he didn't really ask about any further. If they didn't know why he has no memories, what could he possibly ask?

"Where's Iqadi?" Angela asks Imanu.

Imanu takes a shaky breath. "Are we off the record?"

"We're not on it."

Imanu nods. "Emily, is your laptop being monitored by SHIELD?"

Emily laughs a little. "Of course not. They think they're monitoring me but nope. Feel free to use it."

Imanu nods as Emily hands it to him. As he inserts a USB and starts typing, the others are silent, a little suspicious about all of this, especially since he still didn't properly answer the question about Iqadi.

"Are we going to do something illegal?" Merida asks, a little excited if the answer is the one she wants.

"Depends on your clearance level," Imanu responds.

"I have no clearance level," Emily admits, showing him the parole bracelet which she only leaves activated just so SHIELD won't question her laptop (which she already bypassed their security).

"Neither do I," Apollo admits which was a given.

"Technically, I don't either since they revoked it," Daniel says. "But I'm still a doctor so it's all good."

Imanu nods a little as he shows then Iqadi's flight path on Emily's laptop.

"There is a crisis," Imanu tells them. "Iqadi was on her way here to see you lot and we were in full communication with one another before her jet malfunctioned and she was possibly forced to crash it down on this island."

"Why come all the way to us when you could've sent Wakandian officials to check?" Xavier asks him.

"Because I cannot precisely find where she is nor would I be able to enter that territory without facing possible international conflicts."

Before anyone can ask what Imanu meant by that, he turns his laptop back around to show them the SHIELD logo that he got while in Wakanda. James overrides the logo so they could all see and the jaws of only the agents of the group drop in pure horror.

"Why are your faces like that?" Imanu asks.

"Because she landed on the worst island possible," James replies.

"What do you mean?"

"SHIELD has multiple islands all over the world," Merida explains. "Some are military bases, training facilities, research labs, whatever. Iqadi didn't land on any of those islands. She landed on the island that SHIELD uses as a prison."

"I fail to see the problem in that," Emily comments.

"That SHIELD prison isn't like the standard SHIELD prisons here or like a jail county. It's an island surrounded by a dome that criminals are allowed to roam around on since the ones there literally cannot be contained in a simple cell for whatever reason. The prison was made for people to come in and not out. Even the agents assigned to this post are here because they have nothing to lose back home. It's morbid but it's all a part of the job."

Hearing that makes Imanu all tense as if he wasn't already. He shakes his head a little, noticing flaws in those statements given by his friends.

"But if it is so heavily secured then you should have been notified when Iqadi crashed there, right?" Imanu questions.

"That's not how the island works," Angela says. "Once there's a breach in security, the island is set to blow and that's when we notice."

Xavier checks the island's status. "We have about seven hours until the island blows. By the time we all get in the air and actually arrive at the island, there would be about four hours left."

"That's not the worse part," Daniel adds. "The island had a security breach and obviously the problem isn't fixed since the clock is still ticking down. Any agents on post there would've fixed it if they just saw that Iqadi crashed landed there. That means the SHIELD agents there are either disloyal or dead. And not to mention that since the security systems are down, the island is a free-for-all in terms of criminals escaping."

"And the ones trapped there were some that even our parents had difficulty putting away," James says.

"There is the chance that these criminals are unaware of the security breach," an optimistic Apollo says.

Merida raises an eyebrow in consideration to that. "In another case, that could work but a freaking jet just crashed onto their island. Not only do they know that they can escape but they have a way out."

"That is only under the assumption that the jet Iqadi used survived the crash without any damages."

"They could easily fix it up," Emily says.

"I say that we quit wasting time and just get prepared to leave," James says.

"Agreed," Xavier states.

"And my wife?" Imanu questions.

Everyone else is quiet. Nobody wants to bring up the possibility of Iqadi being dead even though it's a possibility and Imanu already knows said possibility. It's just one of those facts that should be left unsaid.

"She's Iqadi," Angela reassures to all of them. "She'll be fine."

If only everyone else fully believed her. Lucky for Angela, she didn't say that statement with complete confidence in herself.

-o-

 _SHIELD Island's Prison - 7:27 AM_

Iqadi wakes up after finally being aware that she's currently baking in the sun. She makes her hands into a fist and feels wet sand forming into a shape just as the low tide hits her feet and then returns to the sea. Iqadi opens her eyes and is instantly hit with the light, causing her to squint. Once her eyes adjust, all she sees is greenery that almost reminds her of Wakanda. Iqadi stands up slowly, trembling as a cold breeze blows against her. Once she's on her feet, she looks around her and brushes off the sand that stuck to her face.

She's on an island - a forest of some type with a bordering beach and the ocean.

Iqadi begins walking through the moss-covered forest. The sky is clear and the sun hits down at an alarmingly hot rate, even the trees that seem to grow up to the sky provide humid shade and non-efficient protection. She starts sweating but sees a river up ahead. Iqadi runs over to it and kneels on the ground to cup some refreshing water to splash on her face. The rocks littered in the river are smooth and wet, covered in reeds and dew.

She walks through the forest and notes how peaceful it is but doesn't notice the shadow growing behind her until she wonders why it suddenly got so dark so quick. Before Iqadi turns around, she holds out her hands and makes them into claws.

Lucky for her, she's dressed in her Panther suit and ready for battle.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will the team be able to rescue Iqadi? Will Iqadi be able to protect herself?**


	75. Escaping SHIELD Island Part Two

**At this point, I'm literally just writing this story for myself. And I keep forgetting this but thank you for all the guest reviews. Those really made my day.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After Iqadi crash-landed on a SHIELD prison island, Imanu recruits the team to go save her.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Five: Escaping SHIELD Island Part Two

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 10:40 AM_

"So, let me get this straight," a SHIELD Commander also known as one of Xavier's superiors says to him, "you want to take your team and Prince Imanu to SHIELD's prison island in hopes of rescuing Princess Iqadi even though you're not a hundred percent sure that she landed there?"

"Correct," Xavier states firmly.

Based on his Commander's statement alone, Xavier has a bad feeling as to where this conversation will go. The moment Imanu informed him and the others about Iqadi's highly possible jet accident on a SHIELD island, Xavier knew they had to go. He just had to discuss it with someone more superior than him because not only does he need permission to access the island (if given no as an answer, they would've gone anyways) but he and his team cannot risk getting in trouble with the Council again.

"Going there for an undetermined rescue mission might result in a one-way trip, Captain Rogers," the Commander tells him.

"I'm aware of that but there is currently a security breach on that island as we speak," Xavier explains. "And Prince Imanu came all this way."

The Commander thinks it over for a bit. "Not only do we need to handle that security breach but if Princess Iqadi dies on SHIELD island, Wakanda could come after us."

Xavier stays silent, hoping this all goes in his favor. With one hand in his pocket, he's crossing his fingers tightly.

"Alright," the Commander states. "I'm letting you go. Someone has to inform the Council about the possibility of a conflict with Wakanda."

Xavier smirks. "That's exactly why I told you."

The Commander laughs a little and claps a hand on Xavier's shoulder.

"And if all this is a one-way trip?" He asks.

Xavier shrugs. "I'll find a way to send you a postcard."

-o-

Meanwhile, the others stand in the hangar of the quinjet, getting equipped and suited up for going to the SHIELD island. Considering that it's a prison island with the worst criminal's on site, they're going to be needing the best weapons defense system SHIELD could offer.

Apollo stands to the side, leaning against the wall as he watches his friends prepare. Ever since he got on Midgard, the one thing he's been itching to do was a battle. The little wrestling matches with his friends didn't count since they were no competition towards him. He and his muscles are longing for that kind of adrenaline which might just distract him from his lack of memories.

"May I join you?" Apollo asks them.

"We're going to a SHIELD island that we're not even allowed to visit," Daniel replies. "So, no."

"But I despise it here. And Imanu gets to go."

"My wife is in trouble," Imanu reasons.

"And she is my friend, so you all say."

Apollo has a point. Besides, if Imanu wasn't counted, they were all Iqadi's friends. It would be hypocritical of them to make Apollo stay back for the same reason they get to go.

"Apollo, do you really want to get blown up?" Daniel tries questioning.

"I am Asgardian," Apollo says proudly. "I have a better chance at surviving an explosion than you."

Everyone is speechless. That was probably the worst argument to use.

"He is also royalty so appreciate that he is asking and not demanding," Imanu says in favor of Apollo.

Apollo laughs a little as he puts a hand on Imanu's shoulder. Imanu jumps a little due to Apollo's strength even though he wasn't really using any of it.

"My memories may be defective but I knew that I always liked Imanu," Apollo says.

Imanu isn't really sure if that was a compliment or not but he just takes it as one.

The others collectively agree to take Apollo along since they really can't leave him anywhere. Not only are his memories still not intact but his royal status along with Imanu's outweigh their SHIELD clearances any day. As they give Apollo permission to join them, Xavier walks in and starts suiting up with them.

"Imanu, why are you here and not any of your guards?" Xavier asks him.

"Iqadi is my wife and I would much rather be here than ruling Wakanda on my own, which I put under the watch of my ambassadors," Imanu admits.

"Here," Angela says, passing Imanu a gun.

Imanu holds the weapon limply and stares at it as if it was some foreign object.

"Do you know what a gun is?" Angela asks.

"Of course I do," Imanu responds. "According to history, Wakanda had guns when you were still using slingshots."

Angela blinks at that striking response and Imanu's attitude towards the weapon still doesn't change. He still shows no interest in it.

"Let me rephrase my question - do you know how to use a gun?" Angela asks him slowly.

"I do not."

"You're the ruler of a militaristic country and you don't know how to use a basic gun?"

"I simply refuse to fight with weapons or with combat. There is more to being a militaristic country than firing a gun."

Angela doesn't respond. She hopes that someone can take over this conversation for her.

"You confuse me," Merida says to Imanu as she finishes loading her quiver. "You would much rather go on a possible one-way trip in the middle of nowhere with no weapons than babysit your own kingdom."

"I love my wife," Imanu states. "Would you not do the same for your significant other?"

Merida scoffs. "I'll update you on that when I get a husband."

Instantly, Emily and Angela's eyes widen and they both grab each other's arms. Not only did Merida say that she'll have a husband one day but she said it with such certainty in that statement. That's why Emily and Angela are so excited and giddy. Merida notices her friends beaming happily and she rolls her eyes at them. Even Xavier, Daniel, and James are a bit annoyed at the fact that they might have to live through another girl talk session about Merida's love life.

"Are we ready?" Xavier asks them.

"If any of you say no to that, I'm going to fly there myself and leave you all here," James says.

-o-

 _SHIELD Island's Prison - 10:16 AM_

The quinjet circles above the island, disguising itself with its exterior reflective panels. Their first approach was to land where Iqadi's jet crashed and start from there but the entire island from above was just a canopy of greenery that they couldn't spot a thing. With that, they just land on the beach and exit the jet.

Everything is so calm and serene, almost as if this island was paradise and not a prison.

"I'm sending all of you information about the inmates here should you run into them," Daniel says.

He sends the files and all their phones buzz at the notification. All of them arm their weapons and test their communication systems to make sure they're working.

"If we all enter the island as a whole Scooby-Doo gang, then not only will we easily become compromised but we'll cover less ground and waste more time," Xavier says.

"Let's split up," Angela offers.

That's what they do. Apollo, Angela, Merida, and Imanu are one team and Xavier, Emily, James, and Daniel are the other. They really picked teams based on who was standing with each other.

"As of right now, we have three hours and 15 minutes till the island blows," Xavier says. "Unless Stark can get the clock to stop ticking and restore the security system, meet back here at the ten minute before detonation mark with or without Iqadi."

They all look at each other and nod. Even Imanu nods despite that last part defeating the purpose of this whole mission.

"Got that?" Xavier asks.

They nod again.

"Good."

They part at the beach, each team heading in different directions. The sea air is heavy this morning and a fog is rolling in, making everything look distinct and slightly unreal. Either this is a weather phenomenon or Iqadi is using this as a defense mechanism for herself. The irony of this situation is that even though they're all looking for Iqadi, she's trying to hide from the inhabitants of this island.

* * *

 **People, find yourself an Imanu who would literally go to the most dangerous place on Earth to save you.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will the group find Iqadi or will they face the island's inmates first?**


	76. Escaping SHIELD Island Part Three

**_Reminder_ \- Xavier, Emily, James, and Daniel are one team / Angela, Merida, Apollo, and Imanu are another**

 ** _Recap_ \- Now that the team has landed on SHIELD Island and have split up, it is all up to finding Iqadi and resetting the security breach**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Six: Escaping SHIELD Island Part Three

 _SHIELD Island's Prison - 3 Hours and 10 Minutes till Detonation_

"We should've dumped Ivory here and maybe she wouldn't have escaped," James says as he steps over a fallen tree.

Xavier, who walks ahead of him, laughs a little. "That's actually a good idea."

"How about we actually _find_ Ivory and then we can talk about disposing of her here?" Daniel nods.

The guys nod. Ivory has been under the radar ever since she escaped SHIELD prison a while back. There have been agents assigned to keep tracking her down but no results have been appearing. Normally, it would be good that nothing is coming up since an optimistic approach to this would be that Ivory isn't doing anything, but the more realistic approach that the group has is that Ivory is being keen on keeping her bad intentions private.

Emily walks behind all the boys, having Jarvis in her Iron Man suit do multiple tasks at once: fix the security breach, keep track of how much time they have left, and track Iqadi. Everything except the ticking clock is not working for her.

"Considering that Ivory was your first mission and you still haven't found her is kinda pathetic," Emily says. The boys rightfully ignore her. "Speaking of being unable to locate hot women, I'm having trouble finding Iqadi since I'm pretty sure her Panther suit was made to be undetectable."

-o-

 _3 Hours and 5 Minutes till Detonation_

On the other side of this intimidating forest, Angela and Merida walk ahead of Imanu and Apollo. The two girls have their weapons ready to fire because they're unsure of where the inmates are exactly and who they would encounter. On the other hand, Apollo seems lax about being here and Imanu is glad to be beside Apollo for that reason.

"Do you think bringing Apollo here would restore some memories?" Angela asks.

"Maybe. He could get hit in the head by an inmate or my bow."

Angela laughs a little. "But on a serious note, we need to talk about Iqadi. She's a panther and those are stealthy creatures so maybe she's just hiding somewhere."

"Panthers are also hunters so there's the chance that she already attacked someone here."

"Or that she didn't survive the crash at all."

"Shut the hell up."

Angela and Merida stop to look at each other. Despite having complete optimism and faith in Iqadi's survival, there is always that pinging thought at the back of their minds about the possibly of Iqadi dying or already being dead.

Suddenly, Angela's tracking device on the island's inmates starts to beep loudly. As she goes to check it, a large thump causes them all the jump off the ground and fall right back down. From the ground, Merida scrambles to load her bow as Angela searches for her tracking device which she lost mid-air. Apollo and Imanu look at them and from behind the girls, they see a twenty-foot reptile/robot hybrid staring at them, possibly scanning each one of them. The moment Merida holds her bow up, the robot flares its defense panels which reflects the sunlight into their eyes.

"Well, that's not fair," Angela exclaims.

Merida and Angela scurry to the side as the robot leaps forwards to attack them. Apollo grabs Imanu and pushes him onto his feet. Apollo jumps up and with instant reflexes, he grabs Imanu and pulls him to the sidelines, behind some trees.

"Any weaknesses?" Merida says as she starts firing her arrows at it.

"If it's a robot then we need to get to the hard drive!" Angela yells back, dodging a swipe from the robot's giant lizard tail.

"It's also a lizard," Merida reasons. "Its insides are organic."

Angela huffs. "Again, not fair."

-o-

 _3 Hours and 1 Minute till Detonation_

Emily takes another look at the clock ticking down and notices a red light flashing in the corner of her eye. As she further examines that, she recognizes it as an approaching inmate.

"Something's coming from above," Emily tells them.

"You should hide," Xavier tells her.

"So should you."

Nobody moves. Everyone is on edge as a large shadow flies from above and lands in front of them. The creature stands up as straight as a flagpole. It's at least a couple feet taller than them and so much stronger. It seems to be some sort of a failed experiment of a mutated ape with sharp wildcat jaws, salivating. The monster's eyes are an opaque shade of red and look around spastically as if it wasn't sure where to look and it doesn't see them.

As the four of them look up at the monster without moving, Daniel perks up as he figures what the monster is. He looks at his team and they look back. Daniel covers his eyes. Then, he gestures to his ears, nose, hands, and mouth before pointing upwards repeatedly. Daniel expected the others to nod their heads but they all look confused.

"What?" James questions, breaking the silence.

The monster suddenly looks right at them. It jumps right over their heads and lands in a pouncing position, ready to make its next move. The group all turns around to face it, ready to fight but they don't move. The strange creature just does the same as it did before as it just looks around mindlessly, searching for a target.

Daniel looks at his friends again and mouths the words slowly this time.

'Blind. Other senses heightened.'

Xavier silently groans, unsure about what to do since he just happened to be stuck with the two chatterboxes of the group also known as Emily and James. He then waves to get James' attention. Once captured, Xavier moves a hand up towards his chest, pulsating it outwards so James gets the message. James nods. He points a hand out in the distance and fires a bio-electric blast in the distance to send the monster somewhere else. As the monster leaps, the team starts running only to start being followed since nobody could really run away in silence.

-o-

 _2 Hours 57 Minutes till Detonation_

As Angela and Merida fight the robot-lizard hybrid, Apollo stands beside Imanu to be his shield since one of their priorities for this mission besides getting Iqadi and fixing the island's security's system, they had to make sure Imanu stayed alive, especially since he doesn't believe in violence as an answer. Imanu looks at Apollo who is acting as if the fight in front of them was just an act and not real. He isn't sure whether to be glad that Apollo's calm or frightened.

"Should you help them?" Imanu asks about Angela and Merida.

"They are fine," Apollo responds.

The two men watch as the robot slams Angela to the ground. As Angela attempts to get up, the robot is about to stomp on her but stops at the sound of Merida loading her bow for another shot. Merida fires a boomerang arrow that has a rope around it just so it'll tie around the robot and make its limbs useless for it. As Merida fires, the robot catches the boomerang and whips it back at Merida as a cyclone. The rope entangles Merida and she falls over.

Imanu looks at Apollo, using his facial expressions to ask the same question he said earlier. Apollo's face is blank as he takes in what he just observed.

"Huh," Apollo says, surprised. "I thought that would have been easy for them. Will you be fine on your own?"

"I will manage," Imanu responds.

Apollo starts to jog over to the robot. He holds his hand out, summoning his greatest weapon. The sky fills up with thunder and lightning, causing the robot to look at him. Apollo starts laughing gleefully as his ax lands in his hand and it's fully-charged with lightning. He leaps into the air and strikes the monster, sending everything down due to its impact, including the trees which break from their roots and Imanu who falls to the ground.

Once all is calm, Apollo drops his ax on top of the dead robot. He cheers for himself due to the adrenaline that runs through his veins at top speed. Even though that was only a second long, it was just the taste of battle he needed.

"That was satisfying," Apollo says.

Angela and Merida huff at him. Apollo looks down and sees that they're on the ground right beside the defeated robot. He goes to pick up Angela as Imanu runs over to untie Merida.

"A warning that you were bringing your Asgard power would have been nice!" Angela exclaims at him. "You could've gotten us all killed!"

"But you are all alive," Apollo replies. "Which, by the way, you are welcome."

Angela is left speechless. She frowns at Apollo who continues smiling at her. He picks up his ax and holds it up as he starts walking again.

"Onwards!" He exclaims loudly.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- As time continues to tick down, will the team find Iqadi on time?**


	77. Escaping SHIELD Island Part Four

**Not gonna lie, the end of this chapter made me numb when I wrote it so enjoy!**

 ** _Recap_ \- While searching for Iqadi on SHIELD Island's Prison, the two teams have encountered some threatening inmates.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Escaping SHIELD Island Part Four

 _SHIELD Island's Prison - 2 hours 27 mins till detonation_

At the sound of a sudden thunderstorm that encapsulates the entire island, Xavier, Emily, Daniel, and James all throw themselves to the ground for cover. Their first instinct is that Iqadi is making the storm but then they hear a deep, roaring laughter that echoes through the jungle as the dark clouds settle down. The group all look up, feeling content that they finally heard Apollo laugh like that for the first time since he arrived, yet at the same time, they still have to search for Iqadi and defeat their monster.

"Look!" Xavier says, standing on his feet.

He immediately points at the monster who's bent over and screeching. It suddenly dawns on the group that this threat of a monster has heightened senses due to its blindness. Because of the deafening and loud thunderstorm, its ears must be ringing.

Emily emits a high frequency that she and her friends can't hear but is making the monster suffer. It continues to writhe around, lashing its limbs at them. Daniel ducks behind a tree, not needing his Hulk to come out and draw more attention to his team from other inmates who definitely already know they're here. James shrinks down and flies around the monster in circles, constantly firing bio-electricity at it.

"James, get out!" Xavier exclaims.

James grows back to his natural size and dives out of the way. Once the monster's chest is exposed, Xavier whips his shield right at it. It pierced the monster and it falls over. Emily turns off her frequency and Xavier picks up his shield before they all continue trekking.

-o-

 _2 Hours and 02 Minutes Till Detonation_

Angela, Merida, Imanu, and Apollo approach the beach located at the other end of the island. Before their eyes, they see a jet in the middle of the sand. They could only assume that to be Iqadi's jet since it's a Wakandian structure. They can't help but feel closer to finding Iqadi because of her jet but what strikes them as odd is that Iqadi's jet has no damage on it despite the fact that Iqadi crash-landed here.

"This makes no sense," Merida says as they all walk closer to the jet. "I know that as teenagers, we called Iqadi the embodiment of perfection but there's no way in hell that she was able to crash her plane is such a pristine condition."

Angela opens a panel on the plane's exterior and scans the internal compartments. Still, she sees nothing wrong with the jet.

"Everything is fine," Angela says. "Her computer and engine systems working perfectly."

"Turn on the exterior camera," Imanu orders.

Angela does so and turns her tablet around so they could all view the footage together.

 _The video gives a perspective from the jet's window wipers. It shows a windstorm outside as Iqadi's behind the camera, trying to control a jet that's being forced down by something._

"I do not think she crash-landed," Apollo says.

"Neither do I," Angela says, adding a filter on the video to see if there are any details their naked eyes are missing.

 _This new filter hues the video and now they can see purple energy rays pulling Iqadi's jet down. Iqadi's jet slams on the sand and slides across the beach. The princess falls out of her pilot's seat and her head hits the controls before she falls to the ground._

 _Hours pass and Iqadi finally wakes up. She looks around and her first instinct is to exit the jet. Iqadi steps out onto the beach still dazed and confused as to what happened and where she is. She turns to the forest and sees a group of SHIELD Island's Prison's inmates coming out from behind the trees._

 _Iqadi yells in her dialect, her tone asking for help but nobody can understand her. The inmates all look at one another._

 _"This is no SHIELD agent," one inmate says._

 _"No..." Another one replies. "This is better. This is the Princess of Wakanda."_

 _They all walk closer to Iqadi, weapons drawn. Iqadi gets in her fighting stance and calls the elements before her camera crashes and the video ends._

"She was forced down," Merida says. "We can figure out why later but at least we know that she was alive at some point on this island."

"By whom?" Imanu questions. "Who on the island has the ability to force down an entire jet?"

"A couple, actually."

They hear coughing coming from someone nearby. All of them raise their weapons and shield Imanu. A cough came from the sand and their first guess is that it's an inmate. When they get closer to check, they see that it's Iqadi lying under some broken tree branches, seeming unharmed.

"Iqadi!" Angela exclaims, pushing off the extra branches. "Someone comm the others!"

Iqadi rolls on her side, shoving a fist into the sand as she wheezes and gasps for air. She looks up to see who's there and the sun hits her eyes and she's immediately blinded. Iqadi ducks her head and once her eyes readjust to the brightness, she looks up again and instantly makes eye contact with Imanu.

She mutters something inaudible and holds a hand out for Imanu. He steps forwards and takes it, feeling nothing but grateful that his wife is here and that she isn't injured. Imanu tightly grips her hand and proceeds to pull Iqadi up. To his surprise, Iqadi pulls him down and he lands on top of her. She kisses the hell out of Imanu, taking his face into hers passionately.

Imanu kisses her back and can't help but stare at her with slightly parted lips when they separate.

-o-

 _1 Hour and 51 Minutes Till Detonation_

"According to our map of the island, the agents' headquarters should be here," Daniel says, pointing ahead at a rock wall.

James brushes away the vines and snaps them off, revealing a numeric entrance slot. He doesn't have the key to it but considering that the entire island has a security breach that Emily is still fixing, he blasts the lock off. James pushes the door open and they all enter.

"Is anyone here?" Xavier asks.

"Scanning for life," Emily says as her suit does the task. "Negative."

The group all walk upstairs to where the control center of the headquarters is. James blasts off the lock again so they all walk through. Right before their eyes, they see every single agent who was assigned to this island all dead and splattered on the ground. Everyone is silent, unsure of what to do with this.

"This is just to psych us out," Xavier states, walking around the bodies to get to the island's controls.

"So they're not real?" Emily questions.

"Oh, they are. There's just no way in hell that they all died here."

Emily says nothing afterwards since that all makes sense. There's no way that all the agents were here at once. Some had to be on duty somewhere on the island. It also explains why they didn't run into any agents while they were here. To wander from the morbid thought, Emily goes over to the controls to see if she can do anything with the timer set to blow up the island. She proceeds to try to rewire the system as the boys try to locate the others, Iqadi, and possible inmates through the island's security system.

"Okay," Emily states. "Here's the best I could do. The clock is still ticking down for our own sake and once the timer hits zero, the system goes back up and if we're not out by then, we'll all be trapped here. Like you all said, you can come into the island but you can't leave."

"We still have a lot of time," Xavier says. "We just need to find everyone else but all I'm getting on the feed is greenery and empty space. This island is huge."

To all their surprises, there's a sudden pounding from the inside of one of the storage closets along with a series of blood-curdling screams. The group and stand, ready to fire their weapons but get distracted by a sudden thunderstorm on the island. Xavier and James cautiously go to the closet. James blasts it open and Iqadi stumbles out, still spazzing with her eyes completely opaque in white.

Iqadi falls to the ground, unable to breathe since her extreme claustrophobia started acting up while she was trapped in there. Once she sees that she no longer contained, she calms down and the storm only remains as dark clouds and heavy winds. Xavier pulls her up and holds her steady. They all see all the cuts on Iqadi's face and hands, blood staining her suit and clumping in her hair (unsure if it's even her blood).

Despite all that, Iqadi smiles.

"My friends..." Iqadi mutters, looking at them. "Or half of you, at least. Where am I? Where are we?"

"One of SHIELD's prisons," Xavier replies.

"Angela," James calls over comms, "we have Iqadi."

 _Angela: What?! How could you?! We have Iqadi._

James looks at the others who all heard that, including Iqadi herself. Daniel finds the others on the live security feed and sees them on the beach with Iqadi. All of them are skeptical as they all examine the Iqadis with them at the moment.

"I am real," Iqadi says as she back away from Xavier.

They don't answer because they know that the Iqadi with the other team is doing the same.

-o-

 _1 Hour and 42 Minutes Till Detonation_

Everyone on the beach holds their weapons firmly, still skeptical on whether or not the Iqadi with this is the real Iqadi. Imanu steps back from Iqadi and her face drops which breaks his heart.

"Imanu, darling..." Iqadi mutters. "You believe that I am really your wife, right?"

They both stare at each other, tensions rising exponentially. Imanu watches as the wind picks up and blows Iqadi's hair in front of her face. Imanu feels tears form in his eyes as he takes a deep breath.

Everything next happens in a matter of seconds.

Imanu grabs Angela's spare gun from her outer thigh holster. He points it right at Iqadi and fires it until the gun clicks due to no more ammunition. Angela, Merida, and Apollo scream at him. Angela runs over and leaps on him, knocking him to the ground. Merida runs over to Iqadi who has fallen dead on the blood-stained sand.

* * *

 **What a cliffhanger.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- After one of the Iqadis has been shot dead, will the others manage to escape the island or be trapped here forever?**


	78. Escaping SHIELD Island Part Five

**I am feeling so blessed for having a long weekend.  
**

 ** _Recap_ \- After both teams have found two different Iqadi, Imanu shoots the Iqadi on his side dead.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Escaping SHIELD Island Part Five

 _SHIELD Island's Prison - 1 Hour and 39 Minutes Till Detonation_

Nobody on the beach moves. Their eyes are all fixated on Iqadi who lies dead on the beach after being shot by her own husband, Imanu. The gun used rests at Imanu's feet where nobody dares to pick it up because the sand circling Iqadi becomes darker shades of red the longer she lies there. From within their ears, they hear the others yelling for a response to all this which they're not sure how to handle considering that the issue in their own hands is too much for them.

"Quiet!" Merida yells in her earpiece to the others.

"What have you done?" Apollo asks Imanu.

Imanu doesn't respond mostly because he isn't completely sure of what it is he's done. The others gave him shade about not holding a gun, and now the first person he shot dead was his wife. He's clearly shaken as well.

Once it's silent in their ears, Angela takes a few steps closer to Iqadi with Merida behind her, Apollo behind Merida, and Imanu not moving at all from where he stands. Angela kneels in the blood-stained sand. Her hand shakes as it hovers above Iqadi's neck to check for a pulse. Tears form in her eyes as her fingers land on Iqadi's neck, but to her surprise, the spot where her fingers land starts to pixelate.

This surprises Angela and the others who stand on the beach with her. Angela hesitantly pinches the pixels which begin to spread all over Iqadi's body. She slowly pulls off that layer and it turns out to be a SHIELD-certified holographic mask covering an inmate who was pretending to be Iqadi.

Angela takes a deep breath of relief. She turns to the others and the tears fall out of her eyes. Apollo and Merida sigh gratefully as they turn to Imanu who has fallen to his knees in gratitude.

"How did you know?" Angela asks.

"Marital hunch," Imanu responds.

-o-

 _1 hour and 32 minutes till Detonation_

The others all relax after watching all of that chaos unfold from the security feeds, knowing that the dead Iqadi wasn't even Iqadi. After doing various tests on the Iqadi that was with them, they could safely and confidently say that their Iqadi is the real one.

"Let us wait until we are off the wretched island to say our hellos," Iqadi says.

Everyone nods, still trying to understand how Imanu knew to shoot the Iqadi that was with them. Even Iqadi doesn't know. She takes a breath and wipes the sweat from her forehead, swiping back the locks of hair that stick to her face.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asks her.

"I am exhausted," Iqadi replies.

"Any idea how long you've been here for?" James asks.

"Not a clue," Iqadi says. "I was unconscious for who knows how long and then in battle only to be unconscious again."

Nobody further asks Iqadi about what happened to her on the island. Not only is it a waste of time but she seems fixated on the security feed where she sees the others and Imanu on the beach with the dead inmate who impersonated her.

"Emily, how much longer till we're trapped here forever?" Xavier asks her.

Emily glances at the timer in the corner of her retina display, the fluorescent numbers glowing as they tick down.

"About an hour and a half," she responds.

"Call the jet over to the others on the beach." Xavier looks at Iqadi. "Can our quinjet dock onto yours?"

Iqadi nods. Emily already knows what she has to do without Xavier needing to order it. She connects to the quinjet and activates its autopilot system to head over to where Iqadi's jet is.

"Stay where you are, we'll go to you," Xavier says to the other half of his team.

-o-

 _1 Hour and 11 Minutes Till Detonation_

As the others stand on the beach, they feel the breeze pick up but it wasn't the wind. It was the sound of the quinjet on autopilot, landing on the beach beside Iqadi's jet. That's also when the other half of the team meet up with the ones on the beach. Everyone is at ease, looking at the real Iqadi again.

Iqadi runs over to her husband first and immediately wraps him in a tight hug. His hand bends up to hold her tangled hair as she rests her head in the crook of his neck. Imanu trembles due to the fact that he just shot someone who was disguised as his wife and now has his real wife in his arms. She consoles him in their dialect as the others look at each other in gratitude that they found Iqadi.

"We still have a lot of time left over, still an hour," Daniel says.

"That's strange," James replies.

"It's also strange that out of the entire island, we only had a battle with one inmate," Merida points out.

"That's not strange but suspicious," Angela says.

"That is also what made the mission kind of boring," Apollo states.

They ignore Apollo's point and just focus on what they were getting at earlier.

"I couldn't spot any of the other inmates on the island," Xavier says.

"The inmates couldn't have gone anywhere since our jet and Iqadi's are still here," Daniel says. Then his face drops. "And now we're here with both of them."

"Maybe that was their plan," Emily mutters.

At the sound of trees rustling and being knocked over, the team looks back towards the forest. Slowly, but all at once, a congregation of various inmates in their standardized light blue SHIELD prison jumpsuits form on the island form at the forest's border. Angela reloads the gun Imanu used earlier and tosses it at him so he could have some form of self-defense. Imanu lets it land in the sand before he goes to pick it up. Iqadi puts herself in front of her husband anyways, one hand being held back towards him. The team all form a line of their own with Iqadi in the center and Apollo and Daniel on the ends all for strategy reasons. All of them with weapons make sure they have a grip on it as they scan the crowd of villains to see the medley of inmates they're up against.

"We just wanted a jet to escape so we annihilated the SHIELD agents here and made a device that would force an approaching plane down to use for our escape," an inmate tells them. "Seems like we now have two."

"So escape already!" Apollo screams at them. "I do not care! Considering that you got caught in the first place and have a horrible plan right now shows that your escape would only result in an inevitable return here."

All his friends and even the inmates turn to look at him strangely, not expecting what Apollo just said. Apollo, however, saw no problem with what he said.

"He's kind of got a point," James mutters. "Why haven't you assholes escaped yet?"

We were going to when we pulled in the first jet," an inmate explains. "Then, we saw that it was Her Majesty of Wakanda in the jet. That's when we knew that Project: New Generation would be coming to rescue her. We didn't factor in Stark, the Asgardian or Wakanda's Prince Consort but the more the merrier."

"Have fun when the island blows," another inmate adds.

"The island isn't going to blow," Emily states.

"Having us here is both to your advantage and disadvantage," Angela says to the inmates. "Sure, your plan worked but only up to here."

"Stark, any chance you can speed up the clock?" Xavier asks.

Merida laughs a little. "Are you kidding?" She loads her bow with a fresh arrow and holds it high. "Time flies when you're in battle."

At once, all the inmates come running forwards from all directions. Project: New Generation starts attacking. They're obviously outnumbered in quantity but not quality since they have strength, teamwork, and aerial use to their advantage.

As Daniel turns into his Hulk, Iqadi holds up her arms and her eyes turn opaquely white to summon a giant windstorm to push all the inmates to the ground. Pausing during the heavy winds, Apollo drops his ax in shock as he watches Iqadi, specifically at her eyes. He's suddenly thrown with a flashback of - _Sigyn raises her arms in the air and rests The Serpent Crown on her golden blonde hair. She opens her eyes and they're opaquely white. Her menacing maniac-like laugh echoes, almost blocking out the scream he can't originate._ Apollo feels shivers roll up and down his spine the longer that flashback plays in his mind.

"No!" Apollo exclaims.

He runs over and bodychecks Iqadi to the ground. His teammates look over in confusion as the inmates laugh.

Apollo holds Iqadi down on her chest cavity, burying her down in a few inches of sand. Iqadi's hands are gripping his wrist which is close to crushing her ribcage in hope to get him off of her. Apollo holds his ax above her and Iqadi gasps as she sees the sunlight reflect off the sharp edge of the ax and his eyes turn a shade darker than the clouds.

"Apollo - ?!" Iqadi chokes out.

Apollo watches as Iqadi's eyes turn back to brown and that's when he realizes that nothing is wrong. He lowers his ax and throws it at an inmate instead. Apollo gets up and looks at Iqadi for a second longer before continuing to battle as if nothing happened. Iqadi sits up a bit as James flies over. He grows back to his normal size before pulling Iqadi back up onto her feet.

"What was that about?" Iqadi asks. "Is he alright?"

"We'll explain later," James replies. "You still able to fight?"

Iqadi grits her teeth and makes the hands of her Panther suit into claws. "I am getting off this damned island!"

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Who will make it off of this island before time runs out and they're all trapped?**


	79. Escaping SHIELD Island Part Six

**Okay, so my plan is to finish this arc with its final filler before the new year and come back with the next arc which also answers a lot of questions.**

 ** _Recap_ \- As Project: New Generation was on their way off the island, the prison inmates came to fight as one.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Escaping SHIELD Island Part Six

 _SHIELD's Prison Island - 57 Minutes Till Detonation_

Prisoners from all kind resided on this island - failed experiments that went rogue, hackers who couldn't be near any technology, people affiliated with terror organizations, madmen with extraordinary combat skills, and much more. All of them against a unique team of their own - superhuman agents, a mundane with an exceptional aim, beings with powers inherited from their parents, intellects, a demigod, and a mutant.

Obviously outnumbered, Project: New Generation knows that they won't be leaving this island without a victorious fight.

-o-

 _55 Minutes Till Detonation_

Iqadi doesn't really have a plan in mind for how she's going to fight except for the fact that she will stay in front of Imanu, being his shield the whole time. She vowed to protect her country and in her eyes, that's her husband.

She leaps over Imanu's head, locking her thighs around the neck of an inmate. Iqadi grunts as she forces him to the ground. Iqadi uses her hands to push herself back up, looking back at her husband. Imanu nods his head reassuringly at her and she shakes her head in response.

"I will be fine," Imanu tells her.

"You better be," Iqadi replies. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything else were to happen.

-o-

 _48 Minutes Till Detonation_

Angela, in her fighting stance, lowers her guns as her enemies fall at her feet. When all is calm again, she holsters her guns and steps over the bodies of her victims. She sees Apollo standing to the side with his eyes wide open in shock.

"You - " he starts before cutting himself off " - this has happened to you before?"

Angela blows a strand of hair out of her face that's damp from sweat. "I'm pretty good at _not_ getting shot."

Apollo puts a hand on her shoulder. "You are tougher than I remember."

"That's what SHIELD does to you."

"What exactly has happened to make you like this, Angela?"

Angela takes a breath. "I have been shot at, blown up, dropped out of planes, beaten up, attacked with knives, electrocuted, hit by every kind of moving vehicles on the planet - and that was during extremely realistic training simulations. Any other questions?"

Apollo is speechless. Angela nods her head, confirming her statements.

"Your power is quite impressive," Apollo starts. Angela smiles at that compliment. "That is, for a mortal."

Her smile vanishes as he goes to continue fighting. Angela doesn't move her eyes from him as she reloads her gun and starts firing at will. She doesn't shoot to kill, but to slow down and knock unconscious.

-o-

 _45 Minutes Till Detonation_

The Hulk plows through the inmates like a machine, none of them even equivalent in terms of strength. This was the first time that Daniel has put his Hulk into battle with him in there, although for this fight, he sort of turned himself off and let the Hulk do the work. Ironically, some of the villains found it honorable to have been taken down by the Hulk. Combined with the possibility of escaping prison, it made being trapped in here in the first place kind of worth it.

Another inmate comes out from behind a palm tree and sees the giant fight happening on the beach and several of his fellow inmates lying on the sand, defeated.

"I thought you weren't going to take part in our escape plan?" Another inmate says to him. "What changed your mind?"

"Only came because the Hulk showed up," the first inmate responds with a small chuckle.

Almost instantly, the Hulk looks right at them and charges in their direction. The inmates start running for their lives.

-o-

 _39 Minutes Till Detonation_

"Jarvis!" Emily exclaims. "Please speed up the clock. I don't want to be here anymore!"

 _JARVIS: Sorry, Miss, but ever since the system went back online, it has been blocking me out._

Emily rolls her eyes, keeping track of the ticking time and the inmates who come her way from all directions. From the ground, Emily puts her suit in some form of autopilot since the fear in her body caused her to cease up. She is scared having never been in a battle with so much pressure on her shoulders before. Then, she feels her body go back in her control when she realizes that she wants to go home.

"Can't you see I'm busy?!" Emily yells at all the inmates.

She blasts them all down with the repulsor beams on her hands. Emily flies off the ground to get a full aerial perspective. One of the inmates jumps on her leg, slamming her back on the ground. Emily feels her head spinning due to the impact. She stays on the ground before blasting aimlessly as a way to defend herself.

-o-

 _31 Minutes Till Detonation_

Xavier and Merida are fighting their own battles nearby one another. They eventually bump backs and are encircled by inmates and their weapons. Xavier and Merida look at one another with a slight head tilt before turning back.

"How many arrows do you have left?" Xavier asks her.

"None," Merida responds, eyeing each inmate carefully. "You want me to throw rocks?"

Xavier smirks and a small laugh escapes. To get out of his confinement, he kicks sand at the inmates which distract them. Merida spins her bow around in circles like a baton to make the same sandstorm effect before Xavier bodychecks some over as if he was back on the football field.

Xavier stays on his knees, crouched over as he sees Merida running towards him. She steps on his back and leaps off, whipping her bow across the beach as if it were a baton. She flips back on her feet and pulls Xavier back up.

-o-

 _27 Minutes Till Detonation_

The Hulk roars loudly as it continues to fight all the inmates that come his way. Nearby, Angela gets choked from behind by another inmate. She grunts, digging her nails into his forearm and when she feels his grip loosen, she flips him over her head.

When the inmate is on his feet, he proceeds to attack Angela but to her luck, the Hulk grabs him and throws him across the island.

-o-

 _24 Minutes Till Detonation_

"Look out!" Emily exclaims.

Iqadi spins around and sees Imanu in trouble. Her anger for the inmates rises inside her before her fear or concern for her husband.

"Do not touch him!"

Iqadi's eyes turn white as storm clouds entrap the island and thunder crumbles. The wind picks up and she charges over at top speed.

"Iqadi no!"

It couldn't be. That was her husband's voice. Iqadi immediately stops running and turns around. She sees Imanu right where she left him and freezes, keeping her eyes on him. While distracted, the mirage of her husband electrocutes her and she falls over. Iqadi's vision blurs as she falls to the ground, constantly muttering husband's name. Lightning fills the sky but it's not from her.

"Iqadi!" Apollo exclaims. "I hid Imanu somewhere. Do not worry."

Emily flies in from above. "We have a quinjet leaving the island with inmates on it! Iqadi, have a storm send it down!"

"Iqadi's down!" Angela yells. "Apollo!"

Apollo holds his hand out to call his ax before he gets kicked over and lands on top of Iqadi. He turns around and sees the quinjet continuing to fly away.

"I got this!" James exclaims.

James runs to the edge of the shore and uses the Pym Particles in his body to grow into a giant. He makes his hand into a fist and slams the quinjet into the ocean. James falls over as well, splashing huge volumes of water on everyone on the island. James shrinks back to his normal size.

"We have one quinjet left!" Xavier yells. "If you can't fly, then get on and we're out. The rest of you follow before the time goes!"

Angela, Merida, and Xavier run towards the jet, taking down any outstanding inmates who stand in their way. The real Imanu runs over and he and Apollo pick up Iqadi. Imanu takes his wife over to the jet and once they're on, the jet flies off. All who remains on the island are Emily, the Hulk, Apollo, and James.

"How much time?" James asks as he flies around inmates, blasting them over.

"Just under 10 minutes!" Emily replies.

Apollo swings his ax, narrowly skims James' head. James jumps a little, glaring at Apollo before going back to fight. He flies past the Hulk who is in the middle of a fist-fight with a mutation monster from a failed experiment. As an odd strategy, the Hulk shrinks back into Daniel. Daniel looks up at the monster with complete horror in his eyes. As the monster charges towards him, Daniel holds his breath as he dives through the monster's legs. Before the monster could react, Apollo's ax slices right through him.

"C'mon, babe," Emily says, landing right beside Daniel. "We're getting out of here."

She picks him up and James flies beside them.

"Apollo, we're out!" James yells at him.

"Marvellous!" Apollo exclaims. "What a great battle."

As Emily, Daniel, and James star flying off the island, Apollo bids all the inmates a final farewell before swinging his ax and joining the others off the island for good.

* * *

 **If I was fighting on the island, I'd probably do what Apollo did and say goodbye as well.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- The ride home will be triggering for Apollo...**


	80. A Hug Down Memory Lane

**This was supposed to be two separate chapters but I'm just combining them as one. Also, this will be the last chapter that will be up in 2017. More info about that in the end note.**

 ** _Recap_ \- the team has successfully escaped SHIELD Island and are now on their way back.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty: A Hug Down Memory Lane

 _Iqadi's Jet - 13:45 PM_

Everyone is on Iqadi's jet, flying back to SHIELD. The jet is set on autopilot and everyone lies on the floor or against the walls or seats just taking a moment to breathe from those intense battles. Once they've restored enough energy, they all drop their weapons. Everyone is soaked with a mixture of the ocean water and their own sweat, both of which are filled with salt. They pull out several all first aid kits to start treating their wounds and replenishing fluids.

"The security on the island is back up and I just sent a message to SHIELD about sending agents there as we speak," Emily says.

Everyone is now at ease, knowing that no villains will be following them for revenge or worse, escaping towards the first set of civilian population they could find.

Imanu looks stern and kind as he hands the gun back to Angela, handle first.

"You could keep it if you want," Angela says.

"I do not want it," Imanu replies. "Nor do I ever intend to put myself in a situation in which I might want it. I am a pacifist. If I really wanted to endorse violence or weapons as a first option, I would have sent my military straight towards the island in full force."

Everyone is silent. And to think that they threw so much shade at him or refusing to hold a gun. Iqadi smiles at him, rubbing his shoulder. Then, she turns to her friends and hugs them each tightly, minding their wounds. Lastly, she goes to hug Apollo whom she hasn't seen for the longest time.

Apollo hugs her back, smiling happily. He doesn't have his full memory on Iqadi but he knows and feels enough emotively to recognize that he has some sort of platonic bond with her like he has with the others. As he pats down on Iqadi's thick black hair, he parts from her and suddenly sees _Freya standing in her place. Freya Sorsdottir, the girl from Asgard whom he deeply fancies. She stands in Vanaheim wearing her Asgardian armor, and he's suddenly standing next to her. Her eyes meet his and they fill up with tears. Apollo's chest feels heavy, he's suddenly unable to breathe._

 _Freya screams. It's the scream he couldn't distinguish from his earlier flashback from back on the beach. He watches Freya as she starts to run with her sword held high. Apollo turns around to see where she's going and he sees Freya running closer to Sigyn who has the Serpent Crown on her head._

Apollo suddenly breaks away from the hug, pushing Iqadi away. Iqadi looks at him in shock, her chest moves up and down in short yet deep breaths.

"What is wrong?" Iqadi asks him softly.

Apollo is silent for a second. "Nothing. I am fine."

"You have a tear rolling down your face."

Apollo takes an angry breath as he looks at her. He didn't want to be noticed crying because not only did it show an addition of weakness to his vulnerable state, but because he didn't even realize that he was crying. He wipes it away before simmering down.

"I am my own trigger," Apollo explains to her.

"Why did you knock me over on the island when I was summoning lightning?" Iqadi asks.

Apollo takes a breath. "I had visions of Sigyn wearing The Serpent Crown and her eyes turned opaque like yours did when she wore it. I had no idea what I was doing but I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I then learned that your eyes meant good intentions."

Angela steps in. "Why didn't you tell us you were seeing Sigyn?"

Apollo hesitates. He really had no reason as to why he didn't tell them. But then, there was a much more important question in the back of his mind that had to be answered.

"How did you know to come find me?" Apollo asks them.

Nobody answers.

-o-

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 16:17 PM_

The moment they arrived at SHIELD, Apollo bolts from his friends and none of them followed since they know he wants is to be alone. He arrives in some random agent's empty office balcony. He stands all by himself, leaning on the rails that overlook the city. Apollo brushes his hair back with his fingers as the wind blows in his face.

His body trembles as his mind works through the many questions he has and the little information he has for answers.

All of his flashbacks have one thing in common - Sigyn with the Serpent Crown. Who was Sigyn? What was that crown? And why did he get a bad feeling from the two of them together?

This all just makes him think of Asgard and what happened up there that resulted in him coming to Midgard with no recollection of the past seven years. Not only does he want answers but he wants his parents to hug him and tell him that everything is okay even though he doubts that to be true.

-o-

While Apollo was taking some time for himself, the others locked themselves in one of the lounges. They need no interruptions or distractions for what they're about to do next. First off, they inform Iqadi about everything that happened since they found Apollo. She nods, accepting the information without any additional questions since there was a lot more to discuss.

"Okay, time to cleanse the room from this emotional crap," Merida states, holding her hands out so everyone sees. "Let's converse calmly since we are always incapable of keeping silent."

"We need to do something about Apollo," Angela says. "I know that we can't but we have to at least try something."

"Maybe his head trauma was not due to a physical matter," Iqadi guesses.

"We assumed that from a medical examination Daniel and I did when he first got here," Emily says.

"Mere test results and hypothesis' are nothing. You all did not see the look Apollo had in his eyes when he pinned me down on the island. He looked as if he was going to kill me."

"There's the slim chance that Apollo does know everything but he's just not telling us," Angela says.

Iqadi shrugs. "Someone extremely powerful must've done all this."

"Britney," Merida states without hesitation.

Saying that name in the middle of all this created a silence in the room that could be cut with a knife. Everyone shifts in their spots uncomfortably.

"Why would Britney ever do something like that?" James asks her.

Merida opens her arms as if her statement was obvious. "Apollo supposedly has no memory of Britney. Also, we all had that dream with her in it the night Apollo came when she said to rescue him."

"Even I had that dream," Iqadi pipes in.

"Britney saying to save Apollo means nothing about Britney doing all this," James explains to Merida.

"Typical criminals leave no evidence that they did a crime and will try to allude you to thinking different," Merida explains. "Did SHIELD Academy's criminology classes teach you nothing?"

"It's wrong to just accuse Britney since she isn't even here," Xavier says. He looks to see Merida opening her mouth to argue. "And don't you dare say I'm being biased because I love her."

Merida closes her mouth.

"Why isn't Britney here?" Daniel questions even though nobody could answer that. "If Asgard is in trouble, you'd think they would keep their prince around to help. This is just supporting the fact that Britney did it."

"I'm kind of believing it too," Emily says. "Maybe Britney did something godawful on Asgard and sent Apollo away so she wouldn't be punished for it."

"Exactly!" Merida exclaims.

"Britney would never do such a thing," Angela states. "Emily, your statement has way more flaws than conclusions."

"Are you sure?" Emily asks. "Where were she and Apollo in the last seven years?"

Everyone is silent again because it's true. Apollo and Britney have not been seen since their high school graduation for reasons that are still unknown at the moment. Not even Apollo could answer that. All of them look at one another to see if anyone has some sort of idea.

"Sometimes," Iqadi starts, "the greatest threats are the ones right in front of you and we can never know what they are truly capable of. Maybe Britney did whatever it was because she had no choice."

"What do you mean?" Angela asks.

"Sometimes we have to make sacrifices no matter what the cost is and keep it a secret to protect the others."

They realize that she has a point. Apollo could be blessed by not knowing, but that just begs the question of what it is he doesn't know.

"Ugh, why does everything have to be so complicated?" Emily groans.

"Because we're growing up," Xavier responds.

"I didn't ask for that."

"None of us did," James pipes in. "Especially in this way."

"We'll figure it all out together," Xavier reassures.

Daniel clears his throat. "I just want to point out that at graduation, we learned that Britney was the most powerful sorceress of all The Realms and that Apollo was destined to kill her. There's the possibility that their prophecy happened and maybe that's why Apollo is here with no memory. Or Britney's just trying to avoid it from happening to a larger degree."

"As much as I don't want to think that, it's possible. Despite that, we can't be divided on this issue. You either believe that Britney did it or that she didn't. Let's take a vote."

Out of the seven of them that voted, four believed that Britney caused all this and three think not. Even though they didn't want to be divided on this, their beliefs were pretty much split down the middle.

-o-

Iqadi spots her husband in the hallways of SHIELD. She takes his arm and escorts him through the headquarters. Once they approach a secluded area of SHIELD with very few agents passing by, Iqadi drops her smile and faces her husband before speaking in their Wakandian dialect so nobody around them can understand what they are going to discuss.

"I think Apollo knows that there is something bitter with my arrival," Iqadi whispers.

"That is ridiculous," Imanu replies.

"I triggered two memories that left him scarred. The first made him tackle me and the second left him in tears. Tell me that is not true."

Imanu pauses. "Those memories have nothing to do with you."

"Answer quickly when you want me to believe you."

Imanu doesn't respond. Iqadi sighs, needing to change the topic.

"How did you know that the Iqadi with you on the island was a fraud?" Iqadi asks him. That question has been on her mind since it happened.

"It was when the fraud kissed me."

Iqadi is surprised that's the reason. "How so?"

"The one who took your form kissed me with confidence. Now, I am not one to talk about confidence as a quality but I know it when I see it. Iqadi, my dear, I know you love me but sometimes it feels like you are scared to do so."

Iqadi looks away from him.

"Did you pick me all those years ago out of love?" Imanu asks her.

"In the moment, yes," she responds softly. "I have never been in love before you so I do not really know how to play the role of a wife, especially since being a princess is already a lot to handle at once. Not to mention that our love was so sudden. I wanted to be a perfect wife for you and after the newlywed phase, I felt as if I was doing it right until, well, you know."

He smiles, understanding. "Iqadi, we were not ready at the time so please, do not hate yourself for something that was not your fault in any way."

Iqadi looks at him. "Why are you so perfect?"

Imanu scoffs. "I am not. I am in the same situation of imperfection as you. I do not know how to be a prince, let alone a king. I left the country when I was the only royal there!"

She laughs a little. Imanu is happy to see her smile again.

"Speaking of Wakanda, I should head back," Imanu tells her.

Iqadi nods. "I still have to locate what was stolen from when Wakanda was under heavy storms."

"I told you back in Wakanda that your friends can find it since they know the land better."

"They cannot know that it exists."

Imanu realizes the severity of what she's looking for and he understands.

"It should not have been taken under such circumstances," Iqadi says.

"It should not have been taken, period. You and I both know that it has already been tested out and it is successful."

"I know. We fixed it or thought we did. Another reason I fell in love with you because you helped me finish it since that was the night I chose you for myself."

Imanu is stunned. "What should I do to help?"

"Return to Wakanda before my parents do and act as if _nothing_ is wrong. When my parents ask, tell them I went to America solely because Apollo arrived. I do not need them to think I left because Wakanda is vulnerable."

"That way, you are not caught in a lie yet not telling the full truth either."

"Precisely. I will return soon."

She gives him a kiss on the cheek.

Imanu holds her close to where she kissed. "Take all the time you need but just come back home alive."

Iqadi smiles. "I love you so much that even death cannot keep me from you."

His palm smooths over her cheek again, drifting along until he catches her jawline and traces it with his fingers. He tilts her head upwards and kisses scar that his stitches left behind and that's when she pulls him into a real kiss. When they part, Iqadi smiles wholeheartedly at him.

"Now you know how I kiss, my darling," she tells him.

* * *

 **That chapter was A LOT.**

 **I am such Iqadi and Imanu trash. Also, based on the earlier conversation with the whole group, you could probably guess who voted for what in the Britney survey.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- This next arc will be another turning point for the story since it will answer the following questions: Back when Merida's parents were kidnapped while on a mission, who was the one that sent them in the first place? Who made that virus that separated Daniel and his Hulk? Where is Ivory Gates and what is she up to? Where is Sigyn and what is she up to? And why is Iqadi really in America?**

 **Find out in February 2018!**


	81. The Contingency Plan Part One

**I'm back, everyone!**

 **This chapter is short mostly because it's more of a prelude to this arc.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Now, the following questions will be answered: Why is Iqadi in America? Who sent Clint and Natasha on that mission that got them kidnapped? Where is Ivory Gates? And where the hell is Sigyn? (no pun intended, but only I get the pun at the moment)**

 ** _Copyright_ \- Avengers Assemble (Nighthawk)**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-One: The Contingency Plan Part One

 _SHIELD Headquarters - 16:38 PM_

All the SHIELD agents on this floor are so extremely busy with their work that they don't notice or acknowledge Princess Iqadi as she walks right past them. They might be sending agents on missions, but Iqadi is looking for something on her own, which is why she finds it helpful that nobody is stopping her along the way. That, and if every agent stopped to bow for her, she would accomplish nothing and it would just waste time. Thankful for her, Emily already deactivated the SHIELD parole bracelet that she had to wear. Iqadi didn't even have to ask Emily to do that since her friend just offered to do that out of her own will.

Iqadi creeps through SHIELD's headquarters, passing through work desks inconspicuously. Having no guard bracelet made Iqadi able to sneak a couple minutes on various agents' computers as they stepped away from their desks. Still, after that extensive search, she couldn't find what she was looking for which was making her more nervous and antsy than usual.

Seeing a database room with its door slightly ajar, Iqadi decides to head over there next. She slips her slender fingers into the gap of light that separates the door from its frame and inches it open. In one stride, she enters the empty room, narrowly closing the door behind her. The lights automatically turn on and Iqadi sees endless rows of SHIELD's databases, each computer assigned to a different one. Iqadi puts her hands on her hips and huffs, knowing that this will take her forever to decrypt and sift through. Before she approaches a keyboard, she hears someone come in and her head turns around towards the door.

Iqadi sees an older SHIELD agent, a man with lightly tanned skin, salt and pepper hair, and brown almond-shaped eyes. She stares at him for a while, worried that she may get questioned about what she's doing here but to her benefit, the agent bows respectively.

"Your Majesty," the agent greets, "I am Agent Mike Tapper, Director of Arial Operations and Defense. It is an honor to get to meet you."

"Please," Iqadi replies modestly, "the pleasure is mine."

Mike smiles a little. Iqadi stands firmly where she is, hoping that he doesn't start questioning her about why she's in this room and such.

"SHIELD has received information about what happened in Wakanda with the extreme thunderstorms and how you got trapped on our SHIELD prison island when you were on your way here," he says instead. Iqadi nods, just to see where he's going with that thought. "I heard about how you handled those situations and let me say that after working with many agencies over the years, I'm impressed by your abilities. You stand out compared to any other agent here."

"Oh..." Iqadi mutters, not having seen that coming at all. "Thank you."

"I envy your courage for having to have dealt with all that on your own, Princess."

"I was not born with it or my skill for that matter."

"I met your husband, Prince Imanu when he was here a while back. He's quite the gentleman. You are incredibly lucky to have him."

Iqadi smiles a little. "I know. That is why he is mine."

Mike senses her hostility but doesn't comment on it for his own reasons out of respect for her. It could've been unintentional and he wouldn't want to offend her whatsoever. Before the conversation could continue for longer, an escort agent knocks before opening the door. Both Iqadi and Mike turn to face her. At the sight of the Princess and a superior agent, the agent bows her head (mostly for Iqadi though) and clears her throat.

"Princess Iqadi," the agent starts, "your friends request your presence. There is a mission for you all."

"Thank you," Iqadi replies. "I will be there shortly."

Iqadi gives Mike a last look before thanking him and walking out. Mike keeps his eyes on Iqadi and watches her exit the door and turn down the hallway.

She'll have to continue her search later.

-o-

Xavier stands in front of a hologram that shows a warehouse located just along the outskirts of the city. Everyone else circles around to get a good view of what they're going to do next. Xavier swipes the building and shows the floor plan.

"SHIELD has been picking up some strange readings from this building," Xavier says. "They have sent agents in before but nothing came out, so they're sending us."

"They're sending the entire team for something a magnifying glass can do?" Merida questions, unamused.

"Apparently."

Merida rolls her eyes. "Is that how incompetent they think we are?"

Xavier shrugs.

"Shoutout to the Council for still thinking we're children," James says unenthusiastically.

"It could be worse," Angela says optimistically.

"How so?" Daniel asks.

Angela has no answer. She looks at Xavier for help but he's purposely avoiding eye contact. Clearly, this is the worst it could be in terms of missions, and to think that Project: New Generation was held high on some pedestal. Obviously, their pedestal was more like a stepping stool that barely let them see over the kitchen countertop.

"I don't want to be stuck here doing office work so let's just go," Xavier says. "Suit up and be at our quinjet in an hour. We'll relay a plan when we see what we're dealing with."

-o-

 _Outskirts of Town - 18:57 PM_

Just like every movie on the planet, their coordinates led them to a building that just happened to be abandoned and far from the main town. All of them stepped out of the quinjet and took a look at the silence and structural debris all around them, surprised at the fact that this building is still standing straight and rigid.

"Stark," Xavier commands. "My readings aren't picking up anything. You?"

Emily looks around the building, the scanners in her suit examine every corner inside and out of the building. Nothing seems out of the ordinary but that doesn't stop everyone from pulling out their weapons. There was something off about this place but they couldn't quite pick out what it is.

"Xavier, what's the plan?" Angela asks.

"Hold on," Emily says, "why do we all just assume that Xavier has a plan? Someone else might."

Merida scoffs. "Do _you_ have a plan?"

Emily looks down. "...no."

They all look at Xavier. He laughs at Emily a little before clearing his throat and discussing their plan for the mission.

* * *

 **If you want to be ahead of the game, check out Iqadi's story and you'll find out what it is that she's looking for.**

 **I should've mentioned this in my last author's note, but please go check out the poll on my profile and vote!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Xavier's plans might get lost in translation...**


	82. The Contingency Plan Part Two

**Remember that month-ish long break I took because of school? Yeah, that was a waste because some of my grades were still absolute garbage.**

 ** _Recap_ \- The team gets sent to a mission on the outskirts of town that's too quiet for comfort.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Two: The Contingency Plan Part Two

 _Outskirts of Town - 19:00 PM_

Xavier stands in front of the team, reciting the plan on how they were going to approach this building. As he further explains, Merida pulls out her bow from the quiver and pops it open with a thrust of her arm. With her free hand, she pushes back one of her curls to insert and activate her earpiece.

Merida looks up at Xavier to hear the rest of their plan and his voice starts to muffle as if he was speaking underwater. The world slows down and her ears start to ring louder and stronger than ever. Then, to her surprise, Xavier starts speaking in Russian. _Russian_. Fluent and effortless _Russian_.

Merida is beyond perplexed and tilts her head in confusion as she listens to Xavier speak in perfect Russian. She can't help but wonder how he possibly speaks it better than she does and it's hypnotizing. His words are liquid, melting into her ears. She doesn't have to translate them for the words to take her breath away.

Xavier makes direct eye contact with Xavier and her heart stops. He asks her a question but she is still too stunned to answer.

-o-

"Merida!" Xavier exclaims in her face.

He looks at his frozen friend who is staring at him non-responsively. He, along with everyone else, calls her name and snaps their fingers in hopes to get Merida's attention once again, all of which fails. Then, her head snaps up and she looks at everyone like a deer that's caught in headlights.

And now, she's the one yelling at them in frantic Russian.

Everyone else stands back, on their toes since they don't know what's going on. Nobody else speaks Russian here.

"Merida..." Apollo mutters, holding his hands out in a steady stance to show how he and the others mean no harm. "English, please, you are worrying us."

Merida looks directly at him and tears are suddenly in her eyes. That is a sight that nobody has ever seen come with no context. Something is seriously wrong here, especially since it seemed to have happened at the snap of their fingers.

"Мамочка, дай мне бодрствовать, я боюсь, но я не собираюсь ничего делать!" Merida exclaims.

Apollo continues to try to talk but Merida suddenly drops her bow and holds her head while screaming. She screeches. Angela runs over and grabs Merida by her shoulders. Merida continues screaming at the top of her lungs and headbutts Angela. Angela staggers back.

"We should ice her!" Daniel yells.

"She is losing her mind..." Iqadi mutters, subtly scanning the others to see if the same is happening to any of them.

"Merida!" Angela exclaims.

Merida looks at Angela and the others once again, before blacking out and falling on the ground. Everyone slowly towers above her. Daniel kneels and feels for a pulse which is still there along with a steady breathing rate.

"Did she knock herself out?" Emily asks. "Or did one of you stealthily ice her while I blinked?"

Nobody did so. She truly went under on her own.

Iqadi shakes. "Merida is in a catatonic paralysis due to an old Russian hypnosis that was being said to her in the form of a lullaby that was intended to put her to sleep. It was something they would engrain in the minds of developing Black Widows in the Red Room and was found to have been passed on genetically and innately. That's how they controlled the radical ones."

Iqadi kneels beside Merida and brushes her hair off to the side. She pulls out her earpiece and shows the others.

"SHIELD standardized," Iqadi states, raising a suspicious eyebrow at that."But it is rigged with electrodes that rewired the neurons in her brain to hear what she had to, which was the lullaby."

Dropping the earpiece to the ground, Iqadi crushes it with her foot, grinding it into the concrete below until only bits of twisted metal remain. She orders everyone else with earpieces to do the same and they follow without questions, even doing the same towards their own. Now, if they were to continue on this mission, they would go in without communications with one another.

"How does she wake up?" James asks.

"There is a rhyme out there," Iqadi replies. "As for Merida, she was hearing Xavier and all of us say the lullaby to her. Her earpiece changed it up. What she yelled back at us was something along the lines of, 'Mommy, let me stay awake! I'm scared but there's no way I'm going to do nothing.' And yet, it took her down."

"How the hell do you know all this?" Xavier asks.

Iqadi looks at him, at all of them, with an expression that is full of guilt, regret, and sadness. She can't find it in her to explain as if the butterflies in her stomach have found their way to her throat and created a lump there. Tears form in her eyes and fall. Iqadi starts shaking her head, looking down at Merida and watching her own tears fall on her friend.

It's too late.

"Don't ruin the moment by talking," Daniel tells Xavier. "Maybe another one of us could fall under a hypnotic spell."

"None of us really know any other languages except Iqadi and her dialect and me with my limited knowledge of Spanish and Mandarin," Emily states.

Iqadi stays kneeled beside Merida. Her head is bowed and her hands folded as she mutters intensely in her dialect. She seems to be praying to her God for help while sobbing. Everyone else looks at one another. Do they interrupt this spiritual and reflective moment or not? They choose the latter.

"I think we should just ask about all this later," Angela says. "We still have a mission with some unknown target here that we need to find. Xavier?"

Xavier nods. His eyes keep on going back and forth from Angela and the rest of his team, to Iqadi who prays over Merida.

"I'm starting to understand why there's no target for us here," James mutters.

"How so?" Apollo questions.

James points right at Merida. "We're the targets."

* * *

 **By the way, that Russian translation was from Google Translate.**

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Who will be the next victim on this mysterious mission?**


	83. The Contingency Plan Part Three

**_Recap_ \- After Merida blacked out on her own, the team realizes that they are the targets of their own mission.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Three: The Contingency Plan Part Three

 _Outskirts of Town - 19:40 PM_

Everyone is suddenly uneasy, looking around them all at once. Nobody wanted to believe that they were the targets of this mission but after seeing what happened to Merida, it was sure likely to be the truth.

"Can we go home?" Emily begs. Her voice shakes, showing her fear.

"Not when we know that someone here wants us dead," Xavier replies.

"Then, can we go to a bunker?"

Xavier rolls his eyes despite Emily being serious when she asked that.

"Xavier," Angela says, "this is dangerous and we already have one down. We have to leave."

"We can't leave when someone out there has the possibility to sing us to sleep or worse!" Xavier exclaims. "We're going to get this bastard."

"Xavier - "

"New plan. We're all splitting up."

"Is that a good idea?" Daniel questions.

"We can't travel as a group. We have one down and it'd be easier for whoever is in charge to enclose us in a mousetrap."

"I guess."

"Are you doubting me?"

"I'm doubting everything that's happening."

Xavier huffs because Daniel has a point. "Angela, you're with me. We'll go to the basement. Apollo, Emily, and Daniel will cover the upper floors. James, stay with Iqadi as she continues to pray over Merida."

As they disperse, Apollo looks up on the rooftop and sees something flash in his eyes. There's a man on the rooftop with a weapon of some sorts pointed right at them.

"Above!" Apollo exclaims.

As everyone looks up, Apollo throws whips his ax at top speed. The figure who was up there flies off into the night. Emily's scans pick up nothing on him, not even the slightest trace as if he was undetectable and unreadable. Once he's gone, everyone runs inside at top speed to try and catch him before anyone else on the team gets hurt.

-o-

The basement is silent with the exception of Angela and Xavier's footsteps. Their steps are slow and steady, cautious of all that surrounds them. Suddenly, they hear a drainpipe clank onto the floor. In response, both twins pull out their guns and point. The difference is that Angela's is pointed straight ahead and Xavier's is pointed at Angela.

"Angela, get out!" Xavier exclaims, trying to move his arm away but he can't. "This isn't me!"

Angela's heart stops, unable to understand what Xavier meant. She moves to the side and Xavier's gun follows her every step. Xavier tries his absolute hardest to move his aim but nothing is working.

"Take me out..." Xavier begs her.

"I can't," Angela replies.

Xavier suddenly charges at her, gun still in his hands and pointed at her. Angela leaps forwards, extending her dominant leg to kick him in the chest. Xavier's free hand grabs her ankle the moment it connects with his chest and tosses her to the side. Angela uses her hands to bounce back on her feet. She turns around and Xavier's elbow is around her neck in a chokehold, squeezing tight.

"Angela - !" Xavier exclaims. "I'm - !"

"I know!" Angela replies.

A flicker of pain flashes across Xavier's face but it automatically disappears as quickly as it came. Xavier squeezes harder, his grip on Angela so tight that his arm whitens. Her face turns red as she chokes, gasping for air as her knees start to buckle. But, Angela finds one last burst of strength and plants her feet firmly on the floor. She grips on Xavier's chokehold and flips him over her back.

Xavier's back hits the floor and he uncontrollably kicks Angela over as well. He grabs Angela's shoulders with a powerful grip but she slams her forehead into his in an explosion of blinding pain.

Both twins fall back. Angela's head is spinning. As she turns around to look at Xavier, she sees him already up on his feet with his gun pointed at her again. Angela takes a breath. She sees that Xavier seems to be fighting with himself, just like how Merida was. His face is a deathly pale, his eyes flat and devoid of feeling. Xavier swallows, his finger tightening on the trigger as beads of sweat drip down his temple.

Then, by some miracle, Xavier resists the urge to turn the gun around. In order to save Angela, he points the gun at his torso and fires at himself.

"No!" Angela screams as Xavier fires again in the same spot.

Xavier could sense Angela staring at him, her eyes burning with tears as he continues to process what he just did. He couldn't take the pressure in his chest combined with the excessive and rapid blood loss at once.

Black spots swim across Angela's vision as she watches Xavier fall to the ground, the gun skittering out of his hand. Xavier did this to send himself down. The first shot went right through him, the bullet clinks on the floor. The second shot, however, was intended to do the same but didn't happen. Angela stumbles over and sees Xavier's uniform staining with blood.

She immediately starts to apply pressure to the wound and tries to call her team for help, but has no coms to do so.

-o-

Merida's still unconscious but her heart is still beating and her breathing rate is still constant. Iqadi finishes praying and looks up. Her eyes meet James' and he sees that her eyes are red from crying during her prayer. Iqadi still has to explain everything that she knows. She has been silent for her own reasons that she thought would benefit them and now she can't believe she's been praying over Merida.

James clears his throat. "Would it be rude for me to pray to your almighty Panther God in this time of crisis?"

Iqadi smiles a little from the corner of her mouth. "Not at all."

They both suddenly jump at the sound of a high-pitched scream for help comes from inside.

"Angela?!" James yells, shrinking down to fly to wherever she is.

Iqadi watches him fly off. She mutters curses to herself in her dialect, unsure whether she should be angered or saddened by whatever could have happened in there.

-o-

Above, Apollo, Daniel, and Emily scale the floor. The three of them look around cautiously, Emily and Apollo in front of Daniel in their best attempts to avoid the need for the Hulk.

Emily looks ahead at the windows, squinting her eyes at something coming their way. She points it out and the moment the unknown person from earlier comes crashing through the glass, she begins firing. To her surprise, each one of her blasts was dodged without even the slightest graze.

Once the figure lands on his feet, Apollo whips his ax at him. As the weapon soars, the figure bends back. When the ax flies above him, he sticks a glowing rock on the blade part. Apollo's ax stops mid-air. Above, a portal with a border matching the light on the rock opens and his ax flies through.

As Emily lunges towards the figure, Apollo holds out his hand to summon his ax. To his surprise, it never comes.

"How - ?!" Daniel asks.

"What trickery was that?!" Apollo screams.

-o-

James flies inside and follows the sound of Angela's voice. It's staggered, rushed, panicked. Based on that alone, he fears what he might see when he finds her. James flies through a doorway and grows back to his normal size when he sees it all: Angela, with her face flushed and eyes red. She's shaking as tears stream down her face, staining her cheeks. Her hands are covered in blood, pressing down on Xavier's torso.

"Oh my god..." James mutters, rushing over to help. "Babe, I got this, you can let go for a moment and take a breath."

Angela hesitates for a second before lifting her hands from the bullet wound. James immediately replaces her pressure with his. As he watches Xavier's unconscious breathing, he looks at Angela who doesn't wipe her bloody hands on her uniform because she just stares at Xavier. James can't even bring himself to think about what it'd be like to watch his twin get shot let alone be covered in his twin's blood.

-o-

Apollo, Daniel, and Emily return back outside to Iqadi and Merida, who still hasn't woken up. The three of them report that whoever that was got away and Emily couldn't get a trace on who it was or where he was going, and that Apollo's ax mysteriously flew away to somewhere unknown. Then, all their eyes turn to James and Angela who come out of the building, James carrying Xavier and Angela keeping the pressure on the wound.

Suddenly, everyone's next movements are automatic: Daniel rushes over to Xavier while the rest of the quinjet. Apollo carries Merida on board and lays her down as Emily disassembles her suit and sits in the pilot seat. As she starts the engine, Iqadi pulls out the first aid kit just in time for James, Angela, and Daniel to enter with Xavier.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Daniel says as they put Xavier down, "but thankfully he's still breathing."

Emily closes the quinjet and starts flying off as fast as she can. Daniel tears open the first aid kit and bandages the area before proceeding any further for now. He hands sanitary wipes to Angela and James so they could wipe their hands clean from Xavier's blood.

"Where are we going?" Emily asks.

"Back to SHIELD?" Apollo guesses. "A hospital?"

"Those would be the worst places to go," James says.

Emily changes the route. "My place it is."

"He shot himself," Angela explains about Xavier, tears forming in her eyes again just saying those words. "I don't know how or why but the gun seemed to be rigged in some way like Merida's earpiece. He was about to kill me but he rebelled and took himself out instead."

As everyone calms down for a second, they catch their breaths as much as they can while still trying to digest all that information. At this point, even that is too much to ask for.

"Okay, so, that bastard - whoever or whatever the hell he was - got away," James says. "Could someone please explain what the hell is going on?!"

Iqadi looks at the ground. Her heart begins to swell as she turns her eyes white, rising up her arms. The night sky becomes darker than it already was as she fills it with thunderclouds and fog. Everyone looks at her with their hands hovering over their weapons as they wonder what she's doing, especially since they're currently flying in the air.

"Someone is taking you all down one-by-one and he will not rest until you are all taken care of," Iqadi states, purposely avoiding their eyes.

"Who?" Emily asks, scared of what the answer will be.

Iqadi looks at them, her eyes opaquely white. Lightning strikes in the sky above them as her expression becomes sharp and her hands turn into fists.

"I am," she admits.

* * *

 **That last little snippet was literally in one of the sneak peeks for this story.**

 **Please visit and vote on the poll on my profile!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Iqadi has some explaining to do and how will her friends react and respond?**


	84. The Contingency Plan Part Four

**My poor babies are in trouble and I feel so bad for putting them through all this.**

 ** _Recap_ \- the team left their mission and are heading back to Stark Towers with an unconscious Merida and a bleeding-to-death Xavier, all while Iqadi confessed to being at fault for all of it.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Four: The Contingency Plan Part Four

 _Stark Towers - 20:39 PM_

Emily lands the quinjet on the landing pad on her balcony, applying the reflective panels to camouflage it as everyone runs out. They all burst into Stark Towers in a rush. Apollo carries Xavier with Daniel and Angela running close beside him, and James runs with Merida in his arms. Iqadi and Emily run in afterwards. Emily pushes all the decor off her dining room table and Apollo places Xavier on it.

"Jarvis, give me Xavier's vitals, now!" Emily exclaims.

There's no response. James places Merida on the nearby couch and he and Apollo switch places since he's more skilled in the medical field than him and can help Daniel.

"Really?!" Emily screams in frustration about her absent AI.

"Forget it," Daniel says. "Without someone helping Xavier breathe, he won't make it."

"He's passed out!" Angela exclaims.

"Keep the pressure on the wound while I think!"

Angela continues putting pressure on Xavier's wound but his eyes remain closed. Her hands shake as they remain stained with Xavier's blood, caking under her nails. What may be beneficial for her is that the tears forming in her eyes blur her vision so she can't directly see this.

"The bullet is in an artery, we have to break normal procedure and take it out now," James says. "I noted that back on the battlefield. Luckily, Xavier knew where to point the gun and skimmed all his major organs."

Daniel rolls up his sleeves. "We're going to need alcohol, ice, sterile towels, and hot water to remove the bullet."

"Luckily, I'm possibly an alcoholic," Emily says.

She runs over to her liquor cabinet gets some vodka bottles and a bucket of ice. James shrinks down and flies to get the linens and a first aid kit, and Angela the hot water from the stove. Iqadi keeps track of Xavier's pulse with a stethoscope on his neck and Daniel keeps the pressure on the wound. Apollo stands by Merida, keeping an eye on her and to make sure nobody comes crashing in.

Once they all return with their equipment, James tears off Xavier's uniform jacket, inhaling sharply when he sees the fleshy wound. He and Daniel take a swig of the vodka before facing this. James shakes with exertion as Daniel rolls his shoulders back and his sleeves to loosen up. Emily pours vodka on their hands to sanitize them and they put on gloves.

"We need to clean the wound again before we attempt to take out the bullet," Daniel explains to James. "We don't have any antiseptic so this will have to do."

They use the vodka on some towels and apply them directly on the wound. Even though Xavier is unconscious, Angela holds his hand, pretending that he's squeezing it tightly.

"Ok, it's clean," James says.

"Now, we have to make small incisions on either side of the wound to give us space to remove the bullet," Daniel explains as he opens the first aid kit.

"What?" James gasps. "We have to _cut_ into him?"

"I can't watch this..." Angela mutters, sounding slightly faint.

Emily hands her another stethoscope so she can monitor Merida. Angela turns away. Daniel takes the medical equipment in his hands and holds his breath as he precisely cuts into Xavier.

Daniel cuts into Xavier while holding his breath

"His pulse is steady..." Iqadi mutters.

"And now, remove the bullet?" James questions even though he knows that's what's next.

Daniel shakes a little as he nods his head. He takes a few quick breaths to calm down as Emily rinses some forceps with vodka and passes them to him. Emily gives him a reassuring look as Daniel turns back to Xavier. This is his friend and now he's operating on him. Oh, how the times have changed.

Daniel tries to latch onto the bullet, but it slides further into Xavier's body. He nearly screams with frustration as he feels the bullet slip out of his grasp. The moment Daniel finally grips the bullet and pulls it out, he steps back and James jumps in to immediately apply pressure to the wound. Daniel puts the bloodied bullet and forceps down on the table and wipes his hands on his clothes. He looks at everyone who is on their toes.

"He is still stable," Iqadi mutters gratefully.

"I've never done that before in my life," Daniel states.

"You still have to stitch him up, right?" Apollo questions.

Daniel huffs. "Son of a bitch."

-o-

Since Jarvis is still currently unavailable, Merida and Xavier's vitals are being monitored by Emily's suit which she rewired to work as a vital monitor.

"They're both stable," Emily states.

"Xavier was smart for shooting himself twice," Daniel says. "Not only was it a ploy to not shoot Angela but aiming in the same spot twice reduces the chances of scarring and internal damage. The experience of pain is closely related to emotional factors and the security of trauma. He passed out on the battlefield not only because of the blood loss but because the chaos and confusion pushed his body to the extreme. Since Xavier would have been aware of what he did when it happened, pain can be naturally reduced so it shouldn't take that long for him to heal. He's using endorphins - body's natural painkillers - as opposed to morphine."

Everyone is silent at the mess of Daniel's words. Sure, they have all been anxious about what is currently going on with them so what some cope with silence others use words.

"You just rambled a lot," Apollo says.

"I also just stitched Xavier so forgive me for still being jittery about it," Daniel says.

Apollo nods and puts a supportive hand on his shoulder.

Angela teeters in Emily's kitchen. She sees a kitchen knife holder on the counter and stares at them for a few seconds before acting on it. Angela grabs a knife and lunches over the kitchen island. She launches herself towards Iqadi and slams her against the wall, pressing the knife against her neck. Iqadi accepts it without fighting back or even defending herself.

"Hey!" Emily exclaims. "No murder in here. There's already more than enough blood on the furniture that I can handle."

Angela ignores her and has raging tears in her eyes as she stares directly at Iqadi. Her breathing is tense and heated, the knife just piercing the surface of Iqadi's neck.

"If I killed you right now, in this kitchen, nobody else in the world would be able to hear it," Angela threatens. "You will tell me and everyone else what you meant when you said that _you_ were the one taking the team down."

"Alright," Iqadi replies.

She looks at the others who slowly approach them. None of them want to be close to her due to skepticism and the fact that Angela has a knife to her neck. Iqadi waits for Angela's face to soften up but it never really does.

Iqadi takes a deep breath. "Seven years ago, in preparation to take the throne, I had to create contingency plans in order to protect Wakanda. Against my own will, I had to make several plans against all of you because you all have the potential to be a threat. That includes the earpiece of Merida, the gun of Xavier, the ax of Apollo, and the absence of Jarvis. All of this was to solely protect Wakanda in the case that any of you were to turn on us for whatever reason. I never intended to use them nor do I know why they are out in the open. You have to believe me."

Those words paralyze the listeners. None of them can seem to accept what Iqadi just said. The mere existence of plans that were aimed to end them is too much to handle, let alone the fact that it was made by their own friend and two of their own were already unconscious.

"That's insane!" Emily exclaims.

"Does not mean it is false," Apollo mutters.

"I apologize," Iqadi says, "I truly do. This is all my fault and I take all the responsibility."

Iqadi pushes Angela's arm away from her neck and the knife skitters to the floor. Angela doesn't even acknowledge the knife but keeps her eyes on Iqadi.

"Please don't _accidentally_ kill me," Angela softly begs. "I already can't breathe with everyone I love having a target on their backs and not knowing how to cover them up."

Iqadi blinks and a tear rolls down her face. She quickly goes to wipe it away.

"Well, now the plans got out," Daniel states.

"Slow down," James says. "I can't think as fast as any of you. There's an anti-James plan?!"

Iqadi realizes that everyone is mad at her. She had to keep it a secret from them not only for the sake of Wakanda but so they could all sleep better at night. Now, someone has her plans and is putting them to use right before her eyes.

"You all deserve to be mad since I have been mad at myself for seven years," Iqadi admits. She looks at Apollo. "Would you do the same if it meant protecting Asgard?"

Apollo is silent for a second. "I would. Sometimes, it is hard to choose which feelings to fight and which ones to follow and when you rule a kingdom, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. I cannot imagine how hard this must be for you, Iqadi, but I know how difficult it is to be away from home and unsure of how vulnerable it may be right now. I will be with you every step of the way."

Apollo's words bite into the others. Sometimes, they forget that Iqadi is the heir to Wakanda's throne and that the responsibility and safety of all those citizens fall on her shoulders. She had to choose to protect the lives of thousands, possibly millions, over the lives of nine. They all work with SHIELD and know that in a situation where you have to pick between saving the world versus your team, you always save more lives and sacrifice less. Opportunity cost in the term of lives is always at risk. It just depends on who you're willing to let go, no matter what the price to pay is.

"As messed up as this all is," James mutters, "at least we know the truth and that's all that matters."

Daniel looks at Iqadi. "You're never going to be alone with us in the picture."

Iqadi looks at all her friends and knows that she loves the best people in the world, which ultimately makes the creation of the plans hurt even more.

"And that right now is either kill or be killed," Angela says, slightly nodding her head. "God, I don't want to die right now. Do you have any idea who could have taken them?"

"None," Iqadi responds.

"Well, we're going to kick this guy's ass," Emily exclaims.

Angela smirks a little, wiping her tears. "Or her ass."

"Either way, there will be some ass-whooping."

* * *

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- With six remaining, will they be able to stay alive or will their plans come to bite them?**


	85. The Contingency Plan Part Five

**So I accidentally erased my outline for this chapter because I'm an idiot with technology so I winged this entire chapter.**

 **Also, I may or may not have finished typing this arc...I actually did and started the next one. It's just that I felt really motivated to do this and I've been listening to a really cool song on loop. Also, school is kind of making me depressed so I came here for joy which I got.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After stitching up Xavier and learning about Iqadi's contingency plans, the remaining five try to figure out what the hell to do now.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Five: The Contingency Plan Part Five

 _Stark Towers - 21:12 PM_

The five who remain decide to take a step back for a moment and try to piece together what's happening. In a mutual agreement, they decided to put the information they just learned about Iqadi's plans on the back burner of their minds and just focus on what they could do right now. For starters, they examine Xavier's gun and the bullets that came with it.

"It's stronger than the material of our bulletproof vests," James comments.

"And they're SHIELD issued," Angela states. That observation is odd to her.

"Just like Merida's earpiece was," Iqadi adds, remembering that piece of information before she crushed it.

"That's it!" Emily exclaims. "SHIELD is against us."

Angela, Daniel, and James all laugh to themselves, thinking about how ridiculous that is. They think that Emily may just be making a joke to lighten the situation up, but Emily's face is a rock along with Apollo an Iqadi's. Of course, the ones who went to SHIELD Academy have their biased opinion that SHIELD would never go against them.

"We have to stop believing in the Council and SHIELD," Emily continues. "Just because they're superior to us doesn't mean they're on our side."

"Emily, are you drunk?" Angela asks. "Why would SHIELD go against us?"

"Why haven't they tried to contact us to see if we're still alive?" Emily asks instead.

Angela opens her mouth to answer before realizing that she has no response. Frankly, neither do James or Daniel.

"I have actually been searching at SHIELD for my plans," Iqadi admits.

"And if SHIELD really trusted us, then we would not have to wear these parole bracelets," Apollo adds.

Apollo, Iqadi, and Emily show their, even though they're all deactivated thanks to Emily. The SHIELD supporters are actually speechless. To think that SHIELD has known them since they were children and yet, to get access or trust from them, they had to become agents and receive a clearance level or wear a parole bracelet.

At least they now have a suspect for all this.

"Hey," Emily says, nudging Daniel. "When was the last time I told you I love you?"

"Let me think..." He responds.

"If you have to think, then it hasn't been recent." She kisses his cheek. "I love you."

Before Daniel could say those same words back, a light-filled portal opens above their heads. They all look up and see Apollo's ax fly out and land on the floor. As if it was second nature, Apollo instantly goes for it. The moment his hands clench on the handle, his ax takes control and flies back through the portal, taking Apollo with it.

The portal closes and now five became four. The fact that they decreased in the matter of seconds goes to show how quick this can all happen.

"How was that supposed to _'kill'_ him?" Angela asks.

Iqadi sighs. "That was just one to get him out of the way. He cherishes that weapon and since it is no longer in his control, he would want to regain that dominance so he will never let go."

"Holy shit, you're smart," James comments. Iqadi doesn't thank him since she didn't want to be deemed as smart for this.

"Wait, Iqadi..." Daniel says, thinking back to an event that happened a long time ago. "Did one of your plans for me involve a virus that would separate me from my hulk?"

"Yes," she replies.

To her surprise, Daniel smiles a little. He seems overjoyed which Iqadi doesn't seem to understand. Why would he be happy over something that almost killed him?

Daniel's smile is still strong. "After I was exposed to that, not only did I almost die but that was the moment when I finally accepted having my hulk in me and realized how much I needed it. Thank you."

Iqadi doesn't know what to say. Never in her life did she think that one of her friends would ever thank her for a plan that was intended to kill them. Iqadi stands up and hugs Daniel. She just needed to feel that warmth that came with the slightest sign of forgiveness from her friends, even if it was just Daniel.

"If you do not mind my asking, how did you get your hulk back inside?" Iqadi asks him.

"Reinfected myself and my hulk with the virus since they would both need hosts,"

Iqadi parts from him and is stunned. "That is remarkable."

James leans in closer to Emily and whispers, "if Daniel made contingency plans for us then we'd be doomed."

"Oh, for sure," Emily whispers back.

A sudden beeping noise fills the room. All of their eyes turn to Emily's suits that were rewired to monitor Xavier and Merida. It would only make noise if something was wrong. All of them start running over. James and Daniel check Xavier and Angela and Iqadi for Merida while Emily looks on her suit.

"He's stable," Daniel says about Xavier.

"So is she," Angela says about Merida.

"Then, what the hell was this?!" James yells.

Then, it dawns on Iqadi. "Emily, back away now!"

Emily instantly gets up from the floor and they all start getting away. The suit disconnects from Xavier and Merida, as if it started becoming its own. Its arm reaches forwards and grabs Emily's wrist, suddenly building around it. The suit starts forming on her entire arm and then wraps over her shoulder. Emily screams as she tries to resist her overpowering suit.

Angela runs behind and jumps on the suit's back, trying to pull it off. James starts shooting his bio-electricity blasts. Iqadi whips pieces of vibranium. All of which fail. The suit throws Angela to the floor and she slides across. Once it's wrapped around Emily's chest, the arc reactor lights up and fires right at James and Iqadi, knocking them over. Before any of them could get up, Emily's suit finishes assembling on her over her protesting screams an flies off.

"I didn't tell her that I loved her back," Daniel mutters regrettably.

James pats his shoulder. "I'm sure she knows."

"It's one thing to know and it's another to hear it again."

James nods in agreement. "I love you, Angela."

"Shut up for a moment," Angela says with her head somewhere else. She looks at Iqadi. "Where is Emily headed?"

"I honestly have no idea," Iqadi replies. "But, it is Emily. You could drop her in the middle of nowhere with nothing and she will still be able to fly out in a stylish contraption."

"But doesn't that mean that whoever is doing this knows that we're here?" Daniel questions.

"Possibly. Where could we go?"

"Not to mention that we have Merida and Xavier with us," Angela says.

"So, what do we do?" James asks. "Xavier isn't here to give orders so I'm looking at you."

Angela looks up at sees three pairs of eyes looking at her, waiting for orders. "...I have no idea, but none of us get to fall when everyone we love is depending on us to get through this."

Iqadi takes a breath. "None of you were supposed to know that I was coming, but then SHIELD Island came. You all came to the prison to save me and I was planning to do the same here by finding my plans. And now, I am failing."

"We're all on the same boat," Daniel says.

"In that case, we will all be at the bottom of the ocean."

"At least some of us are already there."

* * *

 **Please go vote in the poll on my profile!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will the remaining four be able to solve the problem or with Iqadi's plans take them out first?**


	86. The Contingency Plan Part Six

**None of you probably care about this, but I changed Iqadi and Merida on the fancast (located on my profile) because I picture my babies in my head as if they were a movie.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After trying to figure out who could be against them, Emily and Apollo's plans took them away.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Contingency Plan Part Six

 _Stark Towers - 22:41 PM_

Angela pulls her hair back and then leaves it to fall. Her hands rest on her hips as she turns to look at who's left. Daniel, James, and Iqadi face her, waiting for orders just so they could have some sort of grasp and control of the situation.

"Given that our location is known," Angela starts, "we're splitting up again. It'll make it harder for whoever has Iqadi's plans to take us all out at once. Don't go too far from one another and in the case that you do go down, go down with a bang so that we'd know where you are."

Daniel nods. "Smart. We can't dispel whatever this is so we have to work with what we have and not against it."

"We have no other options," Angela admits.

"If you find whoever has my plans, do not hesitate to kill them," Iqadi states.

The guilt that was once in her eyes has now been covered with a cold slate of fury. A part of that is warming to the team since it means that Iqadi is finally up to fighting standards and can handle this.

They all split. Angela stays with Merida and Xavier while the other go separate ways. Despite the danger of the conditions around them, they felt a bit safe. It was nice to share the same feeling for a moment, even if it that feeling was extreme terror.

-o-

James locates himself in the guest floor at Stark Towers. The walls and furniture are in perfect condition. Not only does James walk on eggshells not only to avoid being detected but to keep the floor looking pristine. He takes a breath as he checks all around him, thinking to himself how much he wants his parents to hug him and tell him that everything will be alright even if they're lying.

He takes a peek in the guest bedroom to see anything suspicious. James takes a few steps inside and doesn't turn on the light. Thanks to the moonlight outside, he was still able to see. The room looks like a classic bedroom but one thing sticks out to him as odd.

The curtains.

If there's one thing that his mother taught him, it's how to buy good quality items. If there's one thing he knows about Emily, it's that she would never put cheap looking curtains in her posh tower.

James smirks at that obvious trap. "You thought you could fool me."

James backs out of the room and continues down the floor. He begins to hear footsteps that are not his own approach him from behind. James doesn't act upon it but remains cautious. He counts to three, shrinking on the last digit as something flies over him. Once he's in the air, James sees the mysterious figure behind all of this. He wears all black, having his face covered with a mask of some sorts and oddly enough, a cape.

"James Pym..." the man mutters. "Son of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, inheritor of the Pym Particles, size-changing abilities, flight when small, and bio-electricity blasts."

James is taken aback for a moment at the sudden synopsis of his life. "So, you've read a book."

James grows back to his regular size and launches himself towards the man. He knocks the man over and starts blasting non-stop. To James' surprise, with every one of his blasts came a glow from the man's cape. James tries to blast at the man again but his hand attaches to the cape like a magnet to metal. The same happens to his other hand when he tries to fire with that. James shrinks down in an attempt to escape his restraints but as he decreases in size, the cape wraps around him tightly, forcing him to grow back to his normal size.

The man laughs as he stands above James as he tries to wriggle out of his straitjacket. James tries to fire his way out and the cape flows.

"You know that will kill you," the man says. "That cape is designed is absorb your bio-electricity blasts and emit them back at you. The more you struggle and send the energy back to yourself, you'll eventually burn out."

James huffs. "If dying means that you'll leave me alone, then I'll take my chances."

The man scoffs as he begins to walk away. James grunts another scream as he tries again to blast himself out. In the chance that he burns himself out, which he does, at least his friends will know that one of them will be next.

-o-

Daniel freezes as he hears James' screams. He closes the fridge and quickly drinks a glass of water. It's been a long day for him, especially after removing a bullet from Xavier. And then he learned that Iqadi made the virus that separated him and his Hulk.

That's the part that got him thinking: Iqadi said that those were contingency plans for Wakanda and they had the _potential_ to kill them. When he had his Hulk taken out of him, he still had _time_ to figure out what to do. Then, he thinks about today: Merida would _eventually_ die without the intake of fluids or food, Xavier would've died _if_ he was left to bleed out, and Apollo and Emily _could_ fly to their deaths. All of these plans were made on chance and a leeway of time, he realizes.

"Figure it out yet?"

Daniel jumps a little as he turns around and sees the man behind him. He isn't sure whether or not to move, but this is the man who knocked out three of his friends and sent the other two flying for their lives.

"Your gamma gene is fascinating," the man comments. "It's remarkable how Princess Iqadi was able to create many ideas on how to get rid of your Hulk when nobody else could. Actually, it's remarkable how she was able to create something to kill all of you."

"My temper alone could kill someone," Daniel responds.

"Oh, believe me I know. Why don't you have a drink and settle down."

Instantly, Daniel glances over at the glass of water he drank out of and knows that he's already been hit. Stark Towers was once their safe haven but it has been rigged this whole time.

He has to fight back.

Daniel makes his eyes flash green on purpose to get his Hulk out for this. To his surprise, the room starts to sway back and forth and he holds out his arms in a futile attempt to keep his balance. He tries to get his Hulk out to help him stay up, but his Hulk purposely stays inside. Daniel tries to keep his eyes open but they inevitably close as he falls over. The man catches him and places him on the ground to ease his fall and limit the noise. Before Daniel loses all his strength and hits the floor, he grabs his glass and throws it at the man.

Not only was that a direct attack but at least Daniel made a noise to show that he was down.

-o-

After hearing James' scream and a glass shatter, Angela kneels beside Merida and Xavier. Her heart rate is accelerating and her hands are shaking. The more of her friends that go down, the closer it is to her being next.

"I need help on who the bad guy is," Angela whispers to Xavier and Merida, despite her knowing that she won't get an answer. "Sure, Iqadi made the plans but the difference between the good guys and the bad guys is that the bad guys are the ones who _actually_ shoot at us, not the ones who make the gun."

Angela grabs Merida's bow and unclips the quiver from Merida's waist to fasten it onto her own. She doesn't know how to use it like Merida but she can manage with it. Angela loads the bow and is about to go forth to kill whoever is taking them all out, but a text message from her phone stops her the moment she enters the next room. Angela looks down at it and sees a text message from SHIELD.

 _Agent Tapper: Where the hell is your team?! The mission site was empty and your comms have no signal._

This confuses Angela even more. SHIELD has been attempting to contact them so that means that they're not against her team, right? This should convince her but she still isn't persuaded. While distracted, she gets knocked to the ground.

Angela looks up and sees him, not expecting to see just a basic looking man in a simple getup. She fires arrows which he dodges. Then, Angela resorts to using the bow. She whacks him and he falls back. Angela uses that to her advantage and kicks him to the ground. He falls on his back and Angela holds him down with a knee to her neck. She punches his face repeatedly and stops when he starts laughing.

"What do you find funny?" Angela grits her teeth.

"Oh, dear," the man responds, "you have me just what I wanted."

Angela is confused until she sees him with an arrow in his hand. Then, she realizes that she has been wearing Merida's quiver. Angela backs away, thinking that she was going to be stabbed, but instead, he breaks the arrowhead in his fist and a blue mist breaks free.

Angela immediately tries to cover her nose and mouth but it's too late. The mist enters her system and she drops Merida's bow. Angela tries to call for Daniel or James or Iqadi, but her breath catches in her throat. The room starts to swirl in front of her, blurring and refocusing in a disorienting fashion. She starts to shake. Her muscles give out as she collapses to the floor. She places a hand on her head and clenches her teeth as chills wrack her body, shaking her to the core as she closes her eyes.

-o-

Third strike and now she's the only one left.

Iqadi runs through the hallways, every scream from her friends echoing in her mind. She wants to help them, all of them, but she can't bring herself to move. She's hardly even breathing. She's so scared and has to keep swallowing the urge to puke up bile. She feels like her heart is trying to burst out from the inside of her.

This must be what complete and utter fear feels like and she hates it.

Iqadi stops running due to her inability to breathe. She chokes out a cry, trying to think of a plan on the spot. She knows her plans and how they work so she doesn't know why her mind is drawing a blank.

"Princess..."

Iqadi looks up and her tears fall as she looks at the man behind this all. She stands up straight, facing him. Her mind is telling her to attack him and choke the life out of him, but her feet are stuck to the floor.

"Are you threatening me?" Iqadi asks.

The man laughs a little as he starts to walk closer to him. "No, I'm just creating a situation in which you'll compromise yourself."

Iqadi tilts her head a little. "Now that you have gotten rid of my friends, what happens now?"

"How about you find out?"

He holds out a hand for her to take. Iqadi looks at his offer and hesitates. Accepting his hand could be dangerous for her - actually, it _will_ be dangerous for her. But as long as her friends are safe here, it doesn't really matter what happens to her. She will finish this, no matter the cost or danger.

Iqadi takes his hand.

* * *

 **Please vote in the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Iqadi be able to defeat this mysterious figure? Will her friends be alright?**


	87. The Contingency Plan Part Seven

**After writing all this Iqadi and hearing all the positive buzz from the media, I really need to see _Black Panther_...after I see _Thor: Ragnarök_ because I still haven't seen that either.**

 ** _Recap_ \- With the team out of the way, Iqadi will figure out who this man is and try to put an end to it all.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Contingency Plan Part Seven

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

Iqadi wakes up to a cold surface under her body. She squeezes her eyes shut, head spinning, stomach churning. She feels numb but simultaneously her whole body aches - she's in pain but feels nothing at the same time. That was a benefit that came with her father's training: she was trained to withstand pain as much as possible. She could be stabbed and she probably wouldn't feel it. Iqadi lifts her hands and sees them covered in blood. Her suit is bloodied which is probably how she ended up on the floor. The metal taste is also in her mouth which she just swishes around in there. Iqadi tries to haul herself to her feet but her head spins even more so she stays on the ground. She looks up and sees the man behind all this.

"Who are you?" Iqadi asks, her voice staggering.

The man lets out a guttural laugh. "Wrong question, Princess. You should be asking yourself if you are prepared to lose your friends."

"I already lost them."

"Fair point." He keeps his gaze on her. "I guess I should answer the top burning question in your mind as to who I am just so you'll feel even more embarrassed."

The man bows his head and places his hands on the base of his neck. He begins peeling back his mask and Iqadi's eyes start to open wider when she sees that familiar head of salt and pepper hair. When she finally looks into the revealed almond eyes, her jaw drops in pure shock.

"Agent Tapper?" Iqadi questions only because she still can't believe it. "But...why?"

"Project: New Generation," Mike replies, now slightly angered. "I never supported them and neither did the Council at first, but for all those years, Director Fury kept on pushing the idea. Eventually, as you all got older and your abilities came in, the Council started to see the potential in you. Their trust came only because you were the kids of The Avengers. You were all intelligent and talented. Fast-forward some more years, give you guys some training, the best education, some successful weapons, and now we have a dream team."

Iqadi pauses, needing to take in Mike's words. Was he crazy, yes, but that didn't take away the validity presented in his arguments.

"You have issues with envy," Iqadi spits in his face. "You probably wanted to be on the Council and created this scheme so you could prove you were right and then they would have no choice but to let you become a hologram."

Mike grins from the corner of his mouth. "And there are the analytical skills the Council loves so much. I will admit, I hired Sergei Sorokin to be my scapegoat and my financier. He was easy to persuade into this. How he got your plans is still a mystery to me but if he didn't die, I would've thrown him under the bus in a heartbeat. You made this extensive and expert plan, Princess, and now you are lying in your own blood."

Iqadi puts a pained hand to her enflamed forehead. "I am aware, please be quiet."

He laughs to himself. Iqadi rolls on top her side to ease her throbbing side. Hopefully, her tight suit will make up for the pressure she can't put on it at the moment.

"Your plan is illogical," Iqadi tells him. "You got mad at SHIELD for putting blind faith in Project: New Generation when you yourself had blind faith in a plan made by someone in Project: New Generation."

"It would have all eventually led back to you and then SHIELD alongside their international relations workers would have to deal with Wakanda. In the severity of the situation, I would assume it would end in war because nobody could compensate over the dead with mere words and condolences, especially kids with their statuses as Avenger children. Even if your father is friends with The Avengers, they will still tear through your borders on behalf of their children."

"You really want to start a war against Wakanda? That is blatantly idiotic on your part. We had guns when you were still throwing rocks at each other so the technology we have now is centuries ahead of your mundane comprehension. You wouldn't be able to enter our waters or our airspace without us blowing you to bits. You are betraying SHIELD."

"You betrayed your friends in order to please your country."

Iqadi looks up in an offense. "Pleasing and _protecting_ are two very different things."

Iqadi suddenly feels her side heat up. She curls up a little, murmuring to herself as she closes her eyes tightly and breathes heavily. She doesn't look up but she can hear Mike taking a few steps around her in a circular motion.

"Are you praying to your God for forgiveness?" He asks her.

"I don't need forgiveness from Him," she responds, finally putting on of her hands on her bleeding wound to add a weak amount of pressure since her strength is just gone.

"In that case, any last words?"

Iqadi hears a gun being cocked and pointed right at her head. She scoffs, only an incredibly slim part of her believing that this is the end. The other part still believes that she has a chance.

Iqadi spits out blood. "Tell Imanu that his birthday gift is hidden in my vanity."

Mike tilts his head a little. "You're bleeding at my feet and yet you're dedicating your final words to your husband? I expected a beg for mercy."

Iqadi finally stands up, placing her hands behind her back. "In every one of his self-proclaimed flaws, I see perfection. He is the best prince I could have ever married. It is because of these plans that I proposed to him, but it is also because of these plans that we do not have a child!"

Now, she's angered. Now, her adrenaline is pumping through her veins. She has to use that anger and that energy to take back control over the choices she had to make. Those last six words triggered her to the extreme. Iqadi pulls out two Vibranium shards from behind her back as her suit finishes crystalizing on her body. She connects them together and stretches them to make a Vibranium pole. Iqadi swings it before locking it under her arm and holding it out towards him. She screams in rage before attacking.

* * *

 **Ah, yes, so it was an agent of SHIELD against them this whole time. And we will get back to that 'child' concept in a few chapters. Any of you see that coming?**

 **Please vote in the poll on my profile!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Iqadi will this battle? Will her friends be okay?**


	88. The Contingency Plan Part Eight

**I literally have up to chapter 99 typed and ready to publish. I might update them twice a week, depending in me but as of right now, I am not typing any new chapters and will explain why in that chapter.**

 ** _Recap_ \- Iqadi found out that the one with her plans is Agent Mike Tapper of SHIELD, and now she's ready to fight.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Contingency Plan Part Eight

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

The pure rage that fills her veins is a combination of so many emotions all at once: anger, sadness, betrayal, embarrassment, shame, disappointment and so much more.

The battle that she so longed for and feared was finally here.

Iqadi swings her pole in between her two hands like a baton, aiming her attacks at Mike. He grabs hold of her pole with both his hands, his grip beside hers. His strength overpowers and he pushes it onto her, causing her back to curve. Iqadi looks down at his current vulnerability and uses it to her advantage.

She kicks one of his knees and his grip on her pole loosens. Iqadi quickly spins and whacks him with her pole. She spins again the opposite way and roundhouse kicks him multiple times while spinning through the air. Once she's on her feet, the dizziness hits her but she knows that it's only there because of her excessive blood loss, and she ignored it as much as she can. She holds both ends of her pole in her hands and changes the elasticity of it into a whip-like rope. She wraps it around him but that's when he attacks again.

Mike pulls on the ropes and she slides forwards. He knees her to the ground and she falls on her back, losing her grip on the whip. Mike attempts to whip her but she slides out of the way, side-kicking him to the ground. She takes this opportunity to get back on her feet. The moment she stands, a bullet whizzes by her head. Iqadi looks at his gun and dodges another bullet aimed the same direction.

Iqadi backs away and raises her arms in the air to call on the elements. She feels the winds and thunders form and builds at her fingertips and break through the walls and windows. Iqadi feels another bullet graze her arm but her suit protects her body from any further damage. She sends all the forces she made in his direction, her loud elements just enough to hear another five shots being fired but lost in her winds.

Mike covers his face as he gets pushed back. Iqadi holds her forces longer, taking steps closer to him to emphasize her power. Eventually, she lets go and that's when the claws come out but his gun is as well. Iqadi smirks a little. As if that gun will take her down.

"How much longer are you going to play hero?" He asks her.

"For as long as I have to," Iqadi admits. She takes a breath. "You know, you are using a 919 mm Walther P99 German semi-automatic pistol."

"So, you know some guns. What's your point?"

"You fired twice at my head and missed, grazed me three times, and shot aimlessly another five times. That's ten shots meaning that you are all out of ammunition."

Doubting her, Mike pulls the trigger again only to hear to click. Iqadi claws the gun out of his hand before he could reload. She grabs his wrist and flips him over her. Iqadi has to give him credit though, he fights better than she thought a SHIELD agent would.

Then, Mike hits her so hard in her open wound that she can't breathe anymore. Iqadi collapses to the ground, pain searing through her temples as she's struck with a debilitating migraine, her vision flickering out. Despite all the fighting she has been a part of, she will never be used to actually dying. The pure irony in all this is that the plans were supposed to kill her friends and now she's the one bleeding out.

"Any last words?" Mike taunts.

"Want to know the true test of the blind faith behind Project: New Generation?" Iqadi asks softly.

"Amuse me."

"They found out that I made plans to kill them and they became unconscious at my feet. Yet, despite that, they still have my back like I knew they would."

Mike is confused by her words. Iqadi is smiles as her vision hazes. She hears a roar just as her eyes close.

-o-

All of them: Angela, Xavier, Apollo, Daniel, Emily, James, and Merida. All of them are there, breathing and ready to fight. The Hulk snarls at Mike as they all circle around him with their weapons out and ready to use at their will. Mike is stunned at the sight set before him.

"Explain to me how you all could be here from your deathbeds!" He yells. "I saw you all bleed and burn to death!"

"Failure of imagination," Angela replies with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Merida fires the first arrow as Angela, Xavier, and Apollo all charge towards him at once. Emily and the Hulk standby just in case he thinks that escaping the majority would be the best option to get out of here. James runs over to Iqadi to check up on her since he is burned out and covered in burns from his contingency plan.

"Are you holding back?!" Merida yells at Xavier as she reloads her bow. She notices that his punches are softer than usual.

"I shot myself twice!" Xavier replies. "All you had to do was take a nap!"

Merida rolls her eyes as she fires another arrow at Mike. It flies right above Angela's shoulder and Mike dodges it easily. He slides with all the punches and kicks given by Angela, Xavier, and Apollo with no difficulty whatsoever.

"You all are so predictable," Mike tells them. "The Princess explained all of you to every detail. I know each and every one of your next moves."

"Really?" Emily questions. "Did you see this coming?"

Mike looks at Emily's suit and suddenly gets blasted from behind. He turns around and sees James wearing the arc reactor on his chest. To his surprise, James' face starts to pixelate and he rips off a holographic mask to reveal that it was really Emily who ran over to Iqadi. She blasts him again and Mike flies back as the rest of her suit's parts fly and connect on her body. Mike looks back to where the original suit was and sees James grow back to his normal size. He lights up both fists mid-air and blasts them both right at Mike with all his strength. His skin, which is covered in burns underneath his uniform, feels inflamed but that doesn't stop him. Before Mike could get up, the Hulk grabs and holds him tightly.

Now trapped and surrounded by everyone pointing their weapons at him, he has no choice but to surrender.

-o-

 _SHIELD Recovery Room - 5:58 AM_

Iqadi wakes up to fluorescent lights and the scent of ethanol. Her eyes slowly adjust to the brightness of the room and she sees that she's wearing a hospital gown and heavily bandaged while connected to a series of IVs and vital monitors. Iqadi sees all her friends in the room. Some are asleep on chairs or looking mindlessly around. She can see the noticeable injuries on Xavier and James but at least they're on their feet beside everyone else.

"This has been my worst mistake..." Iqadi says.

Those six words cause all heads to turn her way and the sleeping ones to rise. Their faces don't change but remain passive.

"No," Angela says. "It's only a mistake if you refused to correct it which you did by giving us a starting point to overwrite our plans. If there's one thing that we know about you, Iqadi, it's that you love your kingdom and would do anything to keep it safe, even if it hurts you."

Iqadi has never felt so grateful in her life. Her friends understand that this life is hard. Most people just don't understand what has to be sacrificed in this life. The battles that are worth fighting never come easy, they come with opportunity costs.

Iqadi realizes something that is now bothering her. "This question has been on my mind ever since I saw you lot, how did you all get there?"

Everyone looks at one another with side glances before facing Iqadi again.

"Oh boy..." Daniel mutters.

"That is quite the story," Apollo adds. "Luckily, you are hospitalized so we have the time."

* * *

 **Apollo is me...I've said on many occasions.**

 **Please vote in the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Find out how everyone escaped their plans and managed to save Iqadi.**


	89. The Contingency Plan Part Nine

**_Recap_ \- After making their appearance to save Iqadi, she will learn how they all saved themselves from their contingency plans.**

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Contingency Plan Part Nine

 _Earlier - Somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle - Time Unknown_

Emily's suit is flying out of control but it seems to have a destination in mind which is kind of comforting. Emily doesn't focus on where it's going as she sweats and tries to think of a way out. The first thing she does is pull her arms out of the armor's sleeves and bends them at her chest. She pulls around the wires of the arc reactor and turns it off.

Thankfully, it wasn't self-sufficient. Not thankfully, she was now falling for her life above stormy waters in a dead suit.

While flipping through the air, Emily starts disconnecting her suit as much as she can, only breaking a chest plate the moment she hits the ocean below. She starts to sink and follow the intense whirlpools of the water.

Water leaks through the hole in her suit and Emily struggles to break free from her suit like a hatching chick. The potent currents carry her up to the surface and she slams into a rock which was to her benefit since it smashes parts of her suit off. Emily pushes off the pieces like a baby chick hatching from its shell.

Now, she's on her own and she can barely breathe without inhaling some of the ocean. She continues swirling around and looks up into the dark sky. Within the storm clouds, Emily sees a light appear. To her surprise, Emily sees Apollo fly through. She screams for him but he vanishes.

Emily's chest tightens, feeling hopeless. She will definitely drown here.

Then, she sees a light in the ocean across from her gigantic whirlpool and Apollo bursts out with his ax in his hand. This is her chance to save the both of them.

"Smash the rune!" Emily screams as loud as she can.

"What?!" He yells back.

"The rune! Smash it!"

Apollo looks around and sees nothing hard enough to smash the rune on. When it glows again, he knows that he will be transported somewhere else and Emily will most certainly drown. Apollo sees an approaching rock in his path and he smashes his ax against it, the rune shattering to pieces and sinks. Apollo uses his ax to fly out of the ocean, he grabs Emily by the hand and they both fly out together.

-o-

 _Earlier - Stark Towers - Time Unknown_

He feels a burning sensation in his torso as the memories of what happened comes back to him. He can't move his body at all. His eyes remain closed as his mind drifts in and out of consciousness. The burning intensifies the more he wakes up. His eyes open and he sees it all: the destruction, the blood, the bandages, Merida lying on the couch next to him.

Xavier gets up, ignoring the pain in his side and trudges slowly to Emily's kitchen. He searches for painkillers in her cupboards and takes some with orange juice he finds in the fridge. He holds his throbbing head as he hears someone coming. To his surprise, Xavier looks up and sees Apollo and Emily fly through the window. Apollo lets go of Emily and she falls to the ground, coughing and panting: the two of them dripping wet.

"Xavier?" Apollo questions. "You are up?"

"Barely," Xavier grumbles. "It hurts everywhere. Stark, are you okay?"

Emily is on the ground, still coughing and gasping for air. She squeezes her hair and ties it up in a bun before continuing her cough fit.

"She is fine," Apollo tells him. "She just went for a little swim."

Emily glares at him. "Yeah, a _'little swim'_ in the Bermuda Triangle after I fell straight from the sky!"

"Right. Well, we can discuss details when we find the others."

Emily rolls her eyes as Apollo runs to look for the others. She takes another second to breathe before following him. Xavier slowly follows, ignoring Emily's shouts for him to sit down. He just got up and there was no way he was going back down in any way.

On the floor below, they find James lying on the floor, wrapped tightly in a blanket of some sorts as if it was saran wrap. Emily pokes and prods at it, feeling unknown wires on the inside.

"It's some sort of device to absorb electricity..." Emily guesses. "I think it's clinging to his body like a magnet. It's really cool, I'll give it that. Using Apollo's ax to cut him out is no option since it could hurt James even more."

"What if we could burn out the technology before it burns him?" Xavier asks.

"Is that even possible? I don't think so."

Emily tries to peel back the wrap and she already sees severe burns on his body. She chokes on air as she pats it back down. She can't help but think how much pain that would be for James if he was conscious enough to feel it.

"Shit..." She mutters. Then, she looks at Apollo: "Run down to my workshop and get me some plastic virgin box straps."

Apollo goes and comes back moments later with the supply. Emily snips a hole in James' wrap and exposes some of the wirings that greatly resist electricity. She unravels some of the plastic virgin box straps and wraps it around the exposed wires. Emily yanks it hard enough and the contraption snaps, powering down. With Apollo's help, they take the contraption off of James. He slowly stirs awake.

"My body feels like it's on fire," James mutters.

"Looks like that too," Xavier replies.

"I'll manage."

"You better."

Two floors above, they find Daniel lying on the floor. At first glance, nobody could tell how he went down and after a quick examination, they still had no answers. They simply tried waking him up as if he was sleeping normally, but that didn't work.

"If only we could give him energy," James says.

"We could," Emily says, smiling a little. She gets up and pulls out some liquid vitamin B-100 from her cupboard. "This is literally a shot of energy."

"Why do you have that?" Apollo asks as James prepares a dose for Daniel.

"Because SHIELD makes me come in at 5 AM sometimes."

Xavier coughs. "You don't even show up till around 8."

Emily glares at Xavier who only shrugs because it's true. They all turn their heads to look down at James and Daniel. James finds a vein and injects Daniel with a dose of vitamin B-12. Instantly, Daniel shoots awake, his eyes are a vibrant shade of bright green as he starts to panic. Emily throws herself beside him and holds him close, whispering words of calmness for him. Daniel breathes slower as he looks at her and his eyes return to brown.

"I love you," Daniel tells her. "I love you so much."

He hugs her tightly. Apollo, James, and Xavier look at each other awkwardly, glad that they weren't the ones who calmed Daniel down.

Next, they find Angela in a storage room. Daniel senses that because she's lying in a contained space then there's something up with the air in there. Apollo didn't hesitate to go in since he most likely wouldn't be affected by whatever is in there, which ended up being true. He comes back out with Angela unconscious in his arms.

"She feels frozen," Apollo says.

They all notice that she feels as if she was kept in a freezer. Even her skin is a pale blue like her veins. Their guess is that Iqadi's contingency plan for her involved the super soldier gene in her body. Then, to their surprise, Angela's skin starts to regain color on her own and she wakes up. It was probably because of her exposure to cleaner air, they assume.

They have no time to sort out details. They just have to get everyone back to the land of the living and solve this issue before it becomes worse.

"God, I'm cold..." Angela says, surprised and grateful to see all her friends and Xavier up on their feet.

Lastly, there was Merida who was unconscious since the start of this and still is. For this contingency plan, they honestly had no idea what to do to overcome it. If she went down with a lullaby, how was she going to wake up if shaking her and screaming at her do nothing?

Apollo looks up from Merida and everything around him, including the others, slows down. He feels a different and stranger presence approaching him. Apollo turns around and sees Sigyn, recognizing her as the figure from some of his flashbacks and that's it but this time, it doesn't feel like a flashback. It feels like she's _really here_. What she could be doing here is beyond him, especially since the others are frozen and he's the only one who notices her.

Sigyn points at Merida, her hand glowing green with magic and her eyes give the message that she has a plan. She blows her magic on Merida before vanishing. Due to his rising suspicion in Sigyn's appearance and thus her actions, he calls his ax just as everyone else moves again and Merida stirs awake. The first thing her eyes land on is his ax.

"Point that weapon somewhere else or I will make you wrap it around your neck like a bowtie."

Apollo lowers it just as he looks into Merida's eyes. They're open. She's awake. He doesn't know how nor do any of the other. Frankly, they didn't have time to wonder and ask about it. Merida is awake and that's all that matters.

"How are you feeling?" Daniel asks her.

"I'll let you know when the ringing in my head stops," Merida says. She then looks around her. "What the actual fuck happened?"

After a brief summary of what happened since she passed out, their next step was to find Iqadi since they know she's with whoever put her contingency plans to use. The problem is, they didn't know where to start looking. That is until the winds suddenly pick up with the accompaniment of loud and rumbling thunder.

"Are you good to fight?" Angela asks Xavier.

Xavier shrugs it off. "Probably not, but I took some painkillers so I'll be fine."

"Xavier." She stops him. "You need to take care of yourself. You only have one body."

He nods. "Yeah, and I already shot it twice."

-o-

 _Present Day - SHIELD Recovery Room - 6:30 AM_

Iqadi's mind is blown at how her friends came back and that they were able to do so. She knew that her plans would work the way they did. That's why she created them with loopholes - she knew her friends would jump right through them. Still, there was that lingering fear in her system that they would die before being able to do so.

"Yeah..." James mutters as their story ends. "Nothing like a good traumatic experience to bring people closer together."

"I still owe you an explanation on my part," Iqadi grunts as she sits up in her bed.

"No," Merida says. "You're in pain."

"This will ease the pain, trust me."

* * *

 **"Gee, MysteryGal5, was that Sigyn cameo a way of foreshadowing?" Well, reader who most likely did not ask that, it kind of was. That and I actually had no idea how to wake up Merida.**

 **Please vote in the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Iqadi's side of the story about all this and how it connects to the beginning of this story and almost every arc that has happened so far...**


	90. It's All Connected

**I just noticed this but ever since I posted this arc, Iqadi's story has been getting more recognition so thank you all for that.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After learning how her friends came to save her, Iqadi owes them more of an explanation.**

 ** _Note_ \- this chapter will contain flashbacks so pay attention to the subtitles.**

* * *

Chapter Ninety: It's All Connected

 _Before - Wakanda_

Iqadi washes the last of the dirt and leaves out of her hair. She steps out of the tub, exhausted to the extreme. Every muscle in her body aches as she ties her robe. She should've called for Imanu or a maid to help her but she just wanted to be alone. Iqadi steps in front of her mirror and swipes away the fog, looking at her drained reflection. She takes a comb and starts brushing through her knotted hair.

 _"If any of you go near that contingency plan, I will kill you myself!"_

She yanks the comb right through a knot in her hair, ripping it right out. Iqadi sighs as unconscious tears fall on that torn knot, never expecting her own words to be so haunting. She discards that piece of knotted hair and steps out of the bathroom to enter her bedroom and lie on her bed.

Just moments ago, her mother was brainwashed and set to use her powers to destroy Wakanda. Just moments ago, Iqadi had to fight back and use her own powers to the extreme. Just moments ago, she got reminded of the dreaded contingency plans. And now, all those memories and horrors that came with the creation of hers came flooding back to her.

The plan had its benefits despite its obvious downfalls, she had to give it that. Seven years ago, when she created them, that was the night she fell in love with Imanu. She asked for his help on creating antidotes and loopholes for them. Sure, she wasn't allowed to do that but she did and got a husband out of it.

Iqadi opens her eyes and sees Imanu now in the room. She looks at him and he gives her a weak smile.

"I thought you were asleep," he tells her.

"I am not," she replies.

"Well, you should be."

Iqadi looks at him longer. She notices the jitter in his movements as he walks across the room and it isn't because of what just happened. He knows something else.

"What is it?" Iqadi asks.

Imanu seems as if he's about to keep it to himself but he sighs as he sits beside her on the bed. Iqadi sits up but Imanu forces her to stay down. He keeps a hand on her shoulder.

"You have to keep this from your parents and I will get to why," Imanu tells her. "There was more of a story behind the attack on Wakanda. At least, one that seems the most conceivable. It could just all be a coincidence - "

"Imanu, get to the point."

"Right." He takes a deep breath. "Iqadi, darling, I was revising the defense systems and - and your contingency plans have been stolen during the storms."

Those last few words echo in Iqadi's mind and cause a ripple effect of thoughts. Her plans got out. Someone stole her plans. There is someone out to get her friends. Her plans will be used to kill her friends. And more importantly and likely, _someone abused her mother and attacked her country just to get them._

Iqadi's anger comes out first. She grips on Imanu's sleeves and screams in frustration. He wraps his arms around her hands and cups her face, soothing her with his words. Then, she breaks down and cries in Imanu's arms.

-o-

Days turn into weeks and weeks into months. Iqadi and Imanu have been searching through Wakanda's software, snooping in every international database and government system out there, but nothing explicit comes to the surface. The best they have so far is a vague trace in Mongolia, but since the two of them searching is a secret between the two of them, there's nothing much they could do about it. Wakanda was still being repaired and the two of them still had their royal duties to take care of so their searching happened in the dark hours.

"There must be someone we can call," Imanu says. "We have no reason to go to Mongolia."

"I think I have someone in mind..." Iqadi mutters.

Iqadi rummages through a set of drawers before pulling out a burner phone that was incredibly old technology compared to all Wakanda has. She searches through the phone and sets it to her ear once she dials the number. It rings as Imanu sits across from her.

"I hope I am not disrupting anything," Iqadi says once the line picks up.

 _Clint Barton: Nat and I aren't really up to anything these days._

"That is good. I need help from the two of you."

 _Clint Barton: I guessed so._

Iqadi is taken aback for a second. "You did?"

 _Clint Barton: Iqadi, I have known you since you were born. You never make phone calls unless it's a do-or-die situation, mostly die. What is it you want Nat and I to do?_

"Keep a secret and help me find one."

Iqadi kept the details to a bare minimum. She did mention that an important and classified Wakandian document was missing, but didn't dare say what it was. She also insisted payment which Clint refused but she transferred it anyways. All that mattered was that Clint and Natasha not only find her plans, but not tell Merida _anything_ about this.

-o-

"Did you retrieve it?" Iqadi asks anxiously.

 _Natasha Romanoff: Sadly, no. Barton and I couldn't get it. The compartment it was supposed to be in had a bomb in it instead and judging by that and given the value of what you need, I'm positive that they relocated it once they had a hunch that someone was onto them._

Iqadi exhales. "That makes this harder for me than it has already been."

 _Natasha Romanoff: I'd hate to say this but do you think they may be on to you?_

"Possibly. Do you have any idea of where it may be now?"

 _Natasha Romanoff: I don't._

Iqadi sighs, feeling defeated. "That is unfortunate, especially the cost of not even having it with you. I thank you for everything you and Clint have done for me, Natasha, and I truly apologize for all the problems this has caused for you two and Merida. That is what I have been wanting to avoid for years."

 _Natasha Romanoff: Is there anything else Barton or I could do for you?_

"I greatly appreciate the offer but I shall take it from here. This has been my problem from the start and by putting you and your husband in it, I am only making it worse. Thank you again, Natasha."

Iqadi ends the call. She wraps the phone in the warmth of her hand for a bit before taking a seat beside Imanu. Feeling disappointed in herself, Iqadi rests her head on Imanu's shoulder. He remains silent and kisses the side of her head for support.

"Why have you not suggested to give up yet?" Iqadi asks him.

"Because the betrayal in your eyes on the night you created the plans is burned into my memory," Imanu responds.

-o-

Iqadi had a panic attack weeks after. She just read a SHIELD report about Daniel and his Hulk separating which was one of her plans for him. It got out in the open and infected him. Despite him being saved from it, it still freaked her out that her plans were starting to be used on her friends. Seeing them on a simulation was incredibly different from seeing them put to use.

She was a wreck. Her screams were never-ending and the sobs went on for what seemed to be forever. Iqadi's parents showed so much concern that they let every single servant go home for the day. They wanted to take care of their daughter themselves even though they didn't know about her missing contingency plans being used at the moment.

Iqadi lies on her bed as her mother sits cross-legged beside her, stroking her hair. The sheets and Iqadi's cheeks and hair are damp with tears. The room is dark with the exception of a few candles.

"I have never seen you like this before, my child," Ororo tells her softly. "You are so full of sadness and pain. What took your joy away?"

"I cannot save myself from this," Iqadi replies. "Instead of inhaling air, I intake tears. I do not deserve saving or joy."

"No, Iqadi, I refuse to sit here and see you belittle yourself. What happened to Wakanda was not your fault. It never was and it never will be. You cannot let the fears of your guilt control your life. You are a strong woman. You fight for what you want and you do not let anything get in your way. It will be hard but you will conquer."

Iqadi takes another breath, feeling the oxygen this time. She needs to get out of Wakanda and get to those plans before they get to her friends. The guilt will never leave her but maybe it will take her to where she needs to go.

-o-

 _The Peninsula Suite - Present Day - 10:39 AM_

Iqadi sits on the couch of the white couch in her hotel suite. The entire room was a lot for her, especially since she was alone. Everything was bright and the best quality even though Iqadi was not feeling the same. She sits with her legs crossed, a half-empty bottle of water sits on the coaster of the coffee table in front of her.

Ever since she got released from SHIELD's recovery room, she distanced herself from her friends while they were healing. She had to give them space for a while and she needed some in return. Besides, with the fact that SHIELD now knows about the existence of her contingency plans, she is on extremely thin ice with them and them with all of Wakanda.

Beside her water bottle is an urgent envelope that she received earlier this morning from a bellboy. It was sent from SHIELD and she has yet to open it until now. Iqadi picks it up and undoes the seams before pulling out a formal court order.

 _Petitioner: Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division (SHIELD)_

 _Respondent: Princess Iqadi T'Challa and Prince Consort Imanu Luyano (sent separate copies)_

 _You are commanded to appear in front of SHIELD's Supreme Justice under oath in response to the following document: The Contingency Plan._

Iqadi looks at the official signature and stamp at the bottom of her subpoena. She raises and eyebrow as she folds the subpoena and inserts it back in its envelope. Iqadi takes a deep breath, meditating on the spot for a bit.

She has a few calls to make first.

* * *

 **You see how this connected the arcs: African Storms, Spies on a Sub, Symbiosis, Escape from SHIELD Island, and The Contingency Plan? See? I don't mean to boast but I'm very clever when it comes to this.**

 **Please vote in the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Time to see how SHIELD reacted to Iqadi's contingency plans and how they'll respond.**


	91. The Truth Comes Out

**Okay, so, since I have nine chapters for this story ready to go, my plan is to publish them daily since I have a four day weekend and I'm taking a break after. Actually, my break has already been for weeks since that's how long ago I finished the chapters lol.**

 **In all honesty, this is my FAVORITE chapter up-to-date. Absolute fave.**

 ** _Recap_ \- SHIELD sent Iqadi a subpoena on behalf of her contingency plan.**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-One: The Truth Comes Out

 _SHIELD Supreme Courthouse - 7:37 AM_

As the sun starts its rise, the judicial staff take their seats in the courtroom. They rise as the members of the Council all walk in, standing in their orderly fashion in a line of five. Their faces look more stern and serious in person than in their holograms. Once they take their seats at the stand, everyone else sits when they're told. When the atmosphere is settled, they hear the growing sound of clicking heels coming their way. They automatically know who it is since she's the only person missing from this room.

"She's got quite the entourage," Councilman Tchai mutters sarcastically to the one next to him as she approaches.

Iqadi enters the courtroom without stopping at the doorway. She has nobody by her side, not one lawyer or representative on behalf of Wakanda. She wears a white, tight, fitted pantsuit that was cropped at the ankle to show off her white heels. On top, she wears an unbuttoned off-white blazer. Her face is bare, with no makeup, and her hair is tied back tightly.

There was grace and mystery in her attitude as if she was being a symbol of an unknown innocence that's exposed to everyone else. A frozen silence follows her entrance. Not one person takes their eyes off of her or bows for her. Today was not the day to pity her.

Iqadi takes her seat below the Council. She crosses one leg over the other and folds her hands together on the table, looking up and directly at each council member, waiting to start.

"Good morning," Councilwoman Kwon starts. "Let's begin with today's court order. The following document, classified as top secret by the Wakandian Department of Defense and titled as 'The Contingency Plan', was created by Princess Iqadi T'Challa of Wakanda seven years ago. Princess, is that true?"

"Yes," Iqadi starts.

A legal assistant approaches her with a plaque being held out. Iqadi puts one hand on it and the other held up as she faces the Council.

"Do you, Princess Iqadi, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Any statement other than that will be charged as an act of perjury."

Iqadi inhales as a typewriter types furiously. "I swear."

Iqadi sits back down, straightening her blazer.

"How are you feeling today, Princess?" Councilman Lausanne asks her casually.

"I am the center of turmoil so I am not doing well," Iqadi responds.

"Just like you, Princess, we sent your husband, Prince Consort Imanu Luyano, a subpoena similar to yours to show up today and we did consider travel time and jet lag when we chose a date. Why is he absent?"

"I interfered with the delivery of his subpoena to make sure it did not reach him. This is solely my problem. He was not my husband at the time I created the plan, just a suitor."

"I sensed that statement the moment you walked in," Councilwoman Kwon states. "Unless you want to get caught up in criminal charges, I suggest you cooperate."

"I showed up, did I not?"

Some of the judicial staff smirk behind their papers and screens. The Council did not find that amusing at all.

"Princess," Councilman Rosario says, "your father, King T'Challa, has been working on creating this image of Wakanda for us for decades. Your nation has become an ally with SHIELD, despite this secrecy and now we see that you have contingency plans against our own. How do you explain that?"

"Defense," Iqadi argues. "During World War One, Germany had the Schlieffen Plan. During World War Two, the Allies had Captain America. For New York, you had The Avengers. And now, you have Project: New Generation which my name is on. What is your reason for having a team of superheroes on your side? Defense, is it not?"

"Point made, Princess. So from your statement, it seems as if you made a protection plan against your own teammates who also happen to be your own friends and you hid it for seven years. Must have felt good."

Iqadi pauses, needing a moment to replay his words in her head. She is taken aback by his colloquial statements. Nobody in the stands really knows or understands what she had to go through.

"Have you ever killed someone?" Iqadi asks him in return.

Councilman Rosario raises an eyebrow, not expecting that question. "Falkland Islands. From sixty-thousand feet."

"No offense but that is not the same. And it never feels good. Even the planning of it hurt the soul."

Councilman Rosario looks at his other council members. Clearly, they are starting to digress and he isn't exactly sure as to where to bring the court order.

"How does it feel, Princess?" Councilwoman Ameen questions.

"A gun not only shoots the victim but the shooter as well. One does not get to choose," Iqadi responds.

"Clearly, these plans are showing some emotional trauma that is deeper than the surface or your friends," Councilwoman Ameen continues. "As a mother of three, I can't help but notice the way your eyes are when you speak of this courage as you hold yourself high. Please, do share but take your time."

Iqadi sits back in her chair, thinking back to those seven years when she first made the plans up to where she is now. What lies deeper than the guilt within her friends were memories that she wishes she could suppress. It affected her own family. The Councilwoman who brought this up was a mother of three. Iqadi thinks about how lucky that lady was to have had three children grow inside of her...and it only reminds her that her plans were the reason why she couldn't grow one.

"Princess?"

Iqadi is suddenly brought back to reality, unaware that she completely zoned out. She looks up and sees all the members of the Council looking at her. This time, their faces are soft and sympathetic. Iqadi looks and sees a box of tissues suddenly on her table in front of her. She feels her cheeks with one of her hands and sees that they're both damp with tears she didn't know she cried. Then, she realizes that her other hand rests on her abdomen. Iqadi blinks, and more tears fall on that spot.

"Princess?"

Iqadi takes a tissue and dabs at her eyes gently. She bunches the used tissue into a fist as she sits up straight again. She clears her throat.

"Two years into my marriage with Imanu, I got pregnant," Iqadi explains softly. "The baby was not planned. Imanu and I thought we would expand our family after we succeeded my parents since we were still so young, but we were happy. Surprised, but excited. That phase was with me for a while but then, I became paranoid. I started wondering in the worst case scenario if my plans ever had to touch the surface and kill my friends. What if they were to have children and I just orphaned them? I had nightmares of them dead at my feet with their children screaming for their parents to come back. I felt guilty for having those plans, even if they were in the back of my mind and used for the defense of my country. The guilt started to eat me from the inside and then it ate my baby. I woke up one morning in my own blood."

Iqadi is silenced by herself for a moment. She takes a breath and chokes on her own sob.

"I lost my baby..." Iqadi admits, feeling as if it was the first time she ever said those words aloud. "I did not care if that hurt me but it hurt my husband. I could not bear to look at him for a while after the miscarriage because I felt as if I took that away from him."

"I am sorry, Princess," Councilwoman Ameen sincerely tells her.

Iqadi nods a thank you to her. The other Council members share their condolences as well.

"I felt selfish," Iqadi continues. "I married Imanu because I fell in love with him after he assisted me with my plan. I took him into my life and I could not return him the chance to hold a baby because of my own problems."

Iqadi stops herself, focusing on her breathing. She glances up at the members of the council who have now huddled in a tight circle to discuss what to do now. Iqadi's eyes remain on them the whole time, even when they disperse back to their row.

"Aware of your loss, Princess," Councilman Neilson says, "that still does not excuse you from the charges set forth because of your plans. Yes, Agent Tapper did put them to use but they were aimed at an organization that your country has made an alliance with. In short, you will hand those remaining plans over to us, Princess."

"I will do no such thing," Iqadi tells him.

"You harmed our agents - "

"Your arguments are complicit. Those agents of yours are much more my friends than they will ever be yours. I have had to live with such guilt for years as I kept this secret from them. I lost a baby because of that same secret!"

"Princess - "

"I am loyal to my country and vow to protect it by any means possible. Those are my people, my blood, and soul; and I am their Princess. None of you have any idea what it is like to be in my shoes, what choices I have to make, sacrifices I have to live with. That is why I created the plans. I am loyal to my friends which is why I made plot holes for them to crawl out of. I vowed to myself to protect all of them. All of you who belong to SHIELD claim the same for the world and yet you have betrayal within your own circle. I suggest you check the loyalty of the agents who wear your uniform and represent you in the world before you check up on your allies."

Before any of the council members could formulate a rebuttal, Iqadi stands up and strides out like the confident and courageous woman she knows she is. Nobody tries to stop her.

* * *

 **Yes, I planned for Iqadi to have a miscarriage because of the plans. I hinted back at it during her first arc.**

 **Also, I actually put a lot of thought into Iqadi's appearance in the courtroom and I'm talking English-class analysis with the color symbolism and all that. I'm very proud of myself.**

 **And forgive me for not knowing how courts work, I am not in law school (yet).**

 **Please vote in the poll on my profile!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Iqadi goes back to her friends to seek something important from them...**


	92. Forgiveness First

**Emily's story has reached 700 reviews and I have been waiting for that day since I finished the story last July. Thank you all so freaking much. I actually spent lots of time reading old chapter from Emily and Britney's stories and not only did the nostalgia hit me, but my writing was so good. Like, damn fetus me and her A+ literature**

 ** _Recap_ \- Iqadi faced the Council about her contingency plans and has marched out of the SHIELD Supreme Courtroom.**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-One: Forgiveness First

 _James's Condominium - 8:31 AM_

After hacking into SHIELD's database and attaching it to James' television, the footage from SHIELD's Supreme Courthouse is live for them to see. Their goal was to watch Iqadi's court hearing but to their surprise, it was already over. Those kinds of court orders and questionings were supposed to go on for twelve-to-fifteem hours a day and last for weeks, and there Iqadi was leaving the courthouse and it's barely been an hour.

"How?" Daniel questions. "I swear, it just started."

They switch the viewing camera to a hallway in the courthouse where they see the judicial staff clearing out. Then, they switch it to an outdoors street camera where they see Iqadi walk free. The camera zooms in on her and the group can feel Iqadi's fierceness from James' couch and are left stunned. Her eyes are red-rimmed and determined, popping out from her puffy cheeks.

"She's innocent?" James questions. "And she proved it in under an hour?"

"Goals," Angela mutters, sipping her tea.

"Even in misery, fashion is important," Emily points out. "Man, I wish I could see that outfit in person."

"I wish we could be there in person but apparently not because we're _'conflicts of interest.'_ "

Angela rolls her eyes at her own words, continuing to sip her tea. SHIELD should've known that they were going to find a way to watch it, even if it was from their own homes. Maybe that's a part of the reason why they didn't get an invite, that and some of them were still physically healing from what happened with Iqadi's contingency plans.

"SHIELD would have definitely grilled her for those plans, especially since the ones we've seen had so many complex principles to them," Xavier states. "Science is amazing."

Daniel looks at him strangely. "You _never_ paid attention in science."

Xavier shrugs. "Still. They would have still questioned her and have her claim she was lying."

"Oh, please, Iqadi didn't lie to us," Angela argues. "She just wasn't completely honest. There's a difference."

Emily laughs a little. "That's funny, coming from you. You were the one who almost _decapitated_ Iqadi."

Angela glares at her. It was mostly her overwhelmed emotions that chopped off Iqadi's head. They all look back at the television screen and see the Council members leaving the courthouse in their orderly fashion. Everyone freezes at sight of the Council since they have never seen them in person before. This still isn't seeing them in person but they look more human on a television screen compared to a holographic image.

"Oh, my god..." James mutters. "They're _real_ people. We should've been there to protect Iqadi from them."

Merida rolls her eyes. "You're not a condom. She doesn't need your protection."

"You shut up about protection!" James yells at her. "You had to take a nap for your plan! I was burnt!"

Merida gives him a look. "Shut up. Quit being so passive-aggressive."

"I'd rather be passive-aggressive than actually aggressive."

Angela and Xavier continue watching the Council leave the SHIELD Supreme Courthouse as Merida and James argue about literally nothing. THe Council get in their ominous vehicles and drive the other way from wherever Iqadi is heading.

"They seemed happy, right?" Angela asks him.

"If they show their joy with frowns then yes," Xavier responds.

"That seems worse than a debriefing," Emily comments with a smirk.

Merida looks at Apollo. "I still don't get how you woke me up."

Apollo shrugs. "Strange things have triggered memories. Mostly just snippets of events and feelings but those alone are hard to hold on to and understand."

Merida shakes her head in confusion. "That doesn't answer my question!"

Apollo stares at her, not wanting to answer that question. For some reason, he didn't feel right or comfortable about bringing Sigyn up especially after all this.

-o-

 _The Peninsula Suite - 11:33 PM_

Iqadi unties her hair and changes into her bathrobe to be more comfortable. She rinses her face with cold water and dabs it dry with a towel. Despite her getting her way after the court hearing (which she assumes since nobody stopped her on her way out), she still feels exhausted. It was probably because of her confessions about her paranoia and miscarriage. All of those pent-up emotions finally poured out like her tears and a part of her feels relieved that she finally got that, and everything else out in the open.

Iqadi hears a knock coming from her door. Her gut thinks that it's SHIELD sending her a follow-up subpoena or something related to that, but when she opens the door, she's faced with her friends who all wear the same stone-cold expressions as the Council did.

"We forgive you," Xavier says first.

Iqadi opens the door wider and gets a good look at all of them, unsure of what she heard. She heard his words but their faces don't match.

"You are going to forgive me?" Iqadi questions.

"Well, why wouldn't we forgive you?" Xavier asks.

"Because of what I did."

"You're right," Angela says. "You betrayed our trust, our friendship - "

" - everything we've ever stood for," James adds.

"You also almost killed us - " Daniel says.

"- and sent us to our deaths," Emily cuts off.

"Then, why are you all forgiving me?" Iqadi asks them again.

Apollo smiles a little. "Do you really think that we care about you so little that betraying us like that would make a difference?"

"Any hero who is able to take down the team needs to be on it," Merida says genuinely. "Thankfully, you already are and you don't need a stupid document titled Project: New Generation to say whether you're on it or not."

"You've truly outdone us," Xavier tells her. "You make _us_ better heroes."

All of her friends are now smiling at her. Iqadi feels tears of joy form in her eyes and she lets them flow free. This is the energy she needed.

-o-

Later in the day, Iqadi exits her hotel room and goes for a walk around the city for some fresh air. She enters a park and feels the breeze go against her. Iqadi could simply use her powers to switch the currents or simply go the other way, but she liked the feeling of having something to fight against. She looks up and sees Apollo sitting on a park bench. Their eyes meet and she takes a seat next to him.

"What brings you here?" Iqadi asks him.

"Searching for memories," Apollo responds blandly.

Iqadi nods. She was aware of Apollo's amnesia when she first got rescued from SHIELD island and took it the same way the others did: acceptingly since they had no idea what or how to deal with it except let nature takes its course. The others informed her of how he would occasionally get some memories back but they're not sure if they're legit memories or some fabricated ones and frankly, neither does he.

"You are a prince," Iqadi says, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Do you have such a contingency plan like this?"

"Not that I recall but I would assume so," Apollo responds. "Nothing like yours, I believe."

Iqadi nods. "Good. Just be warned that it will cost you more than just guilt."

Apollo looks at her worriedly. "What did you lose?"

Iqadi sighs. "I assume that they did not tell you but I lost my baby while it was still in my womb."

Apollo is stunned. "Iqadi, I am so sorry."

"It is fine now. I think I am fine now. Take my advice: pain and passion are intertwined. If you are ordered to do something you are strongly against, try your absolute best to find alternatives or a way out, even if all the odds are against you. Just be aware that all your choices have a cost. The reason I am telling you this is because maybe you forgot everything for a reason and the memories you are getting are ones that are trying to tell you something about what you are missing."

Apollo nods. He isn't sure why Iqadi's words bite deep into him, but they really do. The whole mystery behind his forgotten memories of the past seven years and more really bothers him and he doesn't know why since he doesn't know what he doesn't know. He opens his mouth and - _released a guttural scream and slams his fist into the wall, then he falls against it, pressing his forehead against the plaster. When his breathing becomes manageable he turns around, suddenly wanting to cry - from anger, desperation, vengeance._

 _His mother's soothing figure approaches him and he instantly calms down._

 _"Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that it was scary?" Apollo asks her._

 _Jane smiles a little. "Basically my entire pregnancy with you."_

 _Apollo stands up, his eyes never leaving her. "You cannot fathom how happy I am to see you - "_

keeps silent. He really has nothing to say.

* * *

 **When I foreshadow everywhere. That conversation in the middle-ish was derived from _Doctor Who_.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Xavier's dream girl is making a comeback! (I am actually SO EXCITED for this! And yes, she will really be here this time and not just some cameo)**


	93. A Living Hel Part One

**Guys, this is another arc that was changed thousands of times and I am so excited for it because guess who's coming back?! (The last part of this chapter is my absolute favorite).**

 **Also, I have read this chapter over and over again so many times and it is just phenomenal.**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Three: A Living Hel Part One

 _Xavier's Apartment - 4:11 AM_

His eyes burst open at the sound of creaking floors in his apartment. Xavier sits up and the sound comes again. He doesn't need to hear it a third time because he knows that something is out there. He takes out the gun that he keeps in his nightstand table and stealthily runs out.

Xavier holds his gun up as he slowly walks around his place. All of it seems quiet and tranquil, almost as if he dreamt the slight noises. Xavier lowers his gun a bit, still being aware of his surroundings. He inhales and the noise comes again from behind him. Xavier turns around with his gun back up, but nothing is -

a hand clamps on his mouth; the long and slender fingers seal themselves over his mouth. The strength in that one hand alone overpowers Xavier. His gun falls to the ground but he has no energy to even fight back. A black mist fills the room, mystifying and making Xavier relax. The magic of it hypnotizes him, making him go limp and eventually unconscious in unknown arms.

The mysterious figure smirks to herself as she leans in closer to Xavier's ear.

"Relax, mortal, you will see her soon..."

-o-

 _Asgard_

 _Thor paces back and forth in the throne room, rubbing his beard in frustration. Jane stands worriedly beside him, her face pale and blotchy as her eyes are rimmed red. She has obviously been crying. Thor sort of looks the same but he hides his emotions better since someone had to be the strong one. In front of the two of them is Freya. Her eyes follow Thor's steps, seeming passive to whatever their current situation may be._

 _"Where are my children?" Thor asks._

 _It takes Freya a moment to realize that Thor was talking to her. She clears her throat and refocuses._

 _"I wish I knew the answer," Freya replies honestly._

 _"_ _You were the last one to see them, Freya._ _They know better than to run and you knew better than to let them. There was no escaping this. I could not find anything and Heimdall cannot find them."_

 _"Thor, Jane, I was the last one with them. Sigyn sent Apollo away and then she sent me back here. I do not know what they were planning. They knew that running away would make no difference but that is why they did it. That is why they are not here. Is that not why you left as well?"_

 _Thor squares at her, unable to answer. Freya stares at him with furrowed brows and a sturdy stance, holding herself to the same level._

 _"Freya..." Jane mutters weakly._

 _"Are we not all running from it?" Freya questions rhetorically. "At least we are fortunate to not have our damn names written!"_

 _Freya turns around and leaves. Thor and Jane call for her but she doesn't turn around. She tries to hold herself together but ends up bringing a hand to her mouth to muffle her cries and catch her tears. She can't help but feel emotional towards this._

 _"Come home, Apollo," she mutters. "Find Sigyn and please come home..."_

Apollo suddenly wakes up, feeling his cheeks and pillow damp with tears he didn't know he cried. That dream had his parents and they were looking for him. They seem worried and he doesn't know why. Even Freya was the same. This was his second dream with her and she was crying in both of them.

Why is she crying? What happened on Asgard that led up to this moment? Why was he running? Why does he have to find Sigyn? Why is she so important? Why couldn't his parents find him if he was right here?

Apollo gets out of bed, needing some air so he walks out onto the balcony. The cold night air brushes past him but it does nothing for him. If only that dream could be erased from his mind instead of the memories that he's missing and craving.

"Hey," James says, stepping out. Ever since Apollo arrived, he's been bunking at James' condominium since it was big and wasn't constantly under construction like Emily's place.

"Did I wake you or Angela?" Apollo asks.

"Nope. You stepping outside set off the security alarm," James admits. "I turned it off but I don't think you care." Apollo nods which James saw coming. "So, whatcha doing out here?"

Apollo takes a breath. "I think I have to go back to Asgard."

James isn't really sure how to take that news. He can't possibly blame Apollo for wanting to go back. If he showed up somewhere else with one of the few memories being the place where he came from, he would certainly go back.

"What's stopping you?" James questions.

Apollo shrugs. "I am not so sure."

-o-

 _Xavier's Apartment - 8:16 AM_

Angela knocks constantly on Xavier's door. He hasn't been answering his phone all morning which has been worrying her. Usually, if Angela spams him with phone calls and he didn't pick up, he would at least text her to shut up. This time, he didn't which scared her.

After knocking for five minutes, Angela picks the lock and lets herself in. She closes the door behind him and calls Xavier's name several times as she walks further inside. For a moment, she thinks that maybe Xavier isn't here, that is until she sees him unconscious on the floor of his kitchen.

"Oh, my god!" Angela exclaims.

Angela immediately turns him over and does a quick routine checkup to see his vitals. Then, she pulls out her phone to make an emergency phone call. Minutes later, Daniel walks in and rushes over, as shocked to see this sight as she was.

"What the hell..." Daniel mutters as he kneels beside Xavier and checks his vitals the same way Angela did.

"Why'd you call me and not 911?"

"You are my 911," Angela replies.

"What did you notice?"

"He's breathing but there's no pulse."

"Yeah...I got the same. I just needed to make sure that I'm not going crazy at this phenomenon. This is medically and physically impossible. The circulatory and respiratory systems are connected so if one fails, the other should as well."

Angela looks up at him worried. "What could've happened?"

Daniel shrugs.

-o-

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

The landing is rough.

Xavier grunts as he lands on his stomach. He feels his nearest surroundings with his hands: sand, rocks, dust. All seems normal. He feels the sides of his body, he has no weapons but he's wearing his SHIELD uniform and feels his shield strapped on his back, which isn't the strangest thing at the moment. Xavier climbs onto his feet and spins around to see where he is.

He's in a forest of dead trees with jagged and sharp branches that point in every direction. There's no moon or stars, but the sky is strangely dark. This can't be good. It's darker and eerier so he isn't sure of what could be out there, especially since he doesn't know where he is or how he got here.

Xavier begins to walk, slowly and carefully. Every step he takes is cautious, not wanting to alert anything or anyone about his presence. Suddenly, he heard a noise and stops. Something is coming his way.

Xavier starts to run in what he believes to be the other direction. He skids some trees, even though some branches snag and tear his uniform. He puts his shield over his face for protection. Xavier turns his head to see if there's anything following him, and he crashes. Xavier rolls on the ground, grunting in pain as his shield lands nearby. He opens his eyes and sees a woman pointing her hand that's shimmering magic stretched towards him.

"No way..." Xavier mutters in complete shock as he stands up. Her hand lowers and lingers by her side.

 _'Relax, mortal, you will see her soon...'_

It's her. And neither one of them is able to react.

It's Britney. It's Sigyn. Britney Braun. Sigyn Lokisdottir. _His_ Britney Braun.

Their eyes meet and it's like a lightning bolt. An instant, electric connection. Sometimes, Xavier thinks that he spent too much time looking into her eyes that he almost forgot what the rest of her face looked like. As he looks at her, he sees a pale face with sunken cheeks staring back. Her neck, face, arms are all dirty, short dress torn, and hair sticking out in all directions yet still retains the resemblance to melting sunlight in the darkness. Fear-filled emerald eyes stare back at him. That was not the way he remembered her eyes at all.

He couldn't stop staring at her even though he knows that he's probably in deep danger. This time, it's different. He was looking at her as if he was never going to see her again and he isn't sure why. She looks more vivid now compared to his photos and memories of her.

She's got to be a ghost. She's just too beautiful. The purity and realness of this beauty give Xavier a feeling close to sadness - a very natural feeling, though one that only someone truly extraordinary could produce.

The years have truly been kind to her. She has grown into a remarkable beauty even with the impurities covering her.

Xavier leans forwards to hug or kiss her - movements that are just so automatic to him that it's like second nature - and he's still several inches away when he wrenches back unsteadily, everything coming into focus when he sees her blank eyes still staring at him with that same fear from moments ago.

"Britney?" Xavier questions, almost surprised.

Her head perks up at the sound of a name that she hasn't been called in seven years. It almost sounded foreign to her. She opens her mouth to correct him but she can't bring herself to do so at first.

"I am Sigyn now," she finally replies softly. He nods slowly and she takes a step closer to him. "Are you dead?"

Xavier is taken aback for a moment. Before Sigyn could explain, an amplified sound of a horn fills the air. A woman or goddess of some sorts soars down from above and hovers above them. Her frame and stance are large yet slender and toned. Her entire body is a dark shade of green with a black stick-like pattern all over that extends beyond her head as a stretched-out crown. Her smile is frightening, even sending shivers down Sigyn's spine as she cowers back.

"Welcome to my realm, Xavier Rogers, for I am Hela, the Goddess of Death," she introduces formally, almost kindly with a tinge of sourness. "Try not to get comfortable, mortal, for you are in the realm of the afterlife. Welcome to Hel."

Xavier looks at Sigyn. "Are you dead?"

Sigyn's face doesn't budge. "Are _you_?"

* * *

 **SIGYN. IS. FINALLY. HERE. And it's more than just a small cameo.**

 **Please vote in the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What are Xavier and Sigyn doing in Hel? And how could Xavier be in Hel and on Midgard at the same time?**


	94. A Living Hel Part Two

**Happy Easter if you celebrate it! I technically do but I'm kind of alone this year so nothing happening here on my end.**

 ** _Recap_ \- A kidnapping in the middle of the night results in Xavier being found unconscious on Midgard yet at Hel where he reconnected with Sigyn**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Four: A Living Hel Part Two

 _Hel_

"I am not dead!" Xavier exclaims, exasperated. He takes a few breaths and realizes that neither Sigyn nor Hela are arguing with him. "I'm not."

Hela rolls her eyes. "Typical mortal with the human condition of denying death." She looks at Sigyn: "why did you ever fall in love with him?"

Sigyn says nothing, her face barely budges. She looks at Xavier again and he's already looking at her. There is magic in the air that isn't coming from her or Hela. She suddenly forgets about everything for a second as she looks at his kind face. Already, she sees the look of a broken heart in his eyes - that particular sadness that starts on the surface and then goes bone-deep, displacing all traces of the teenager he was. Yet, seeing her seemed to have brought that particular joy back inside of him. His shoulders are stiff and their suppleness and softness are gone, and they probably have been the moment he laid eyes on her. And now, that he's facing her, his emotions don't know how to react. Still, behind the fear on his face, it remains kind.

Sigyn is also trying to absorb what she has been seeing ever since she crashed into him. Xavier's SHIELD uniform makes his build look much stronger - like he has more power and authority despite his current vulnerability. His blue eyes have gotten darker and she believes that she's the reasons why. When he came closer to her seconds ago, she felt the years fade away and felt like she was in high school again. Britney Braun would've fallen into his firm arms naturally as if they were her second home, but Sigyn Lokisdottir stood there frozen.

Sigyn blinks and suddenly Hela is gone, leaving her and Xavier. She can see in his eyes that he's still scared of possibly being dead.

"Are you dead?" He asks her.

And now he's the one asking her. Maybe that's the reason she fell in love with him all those years ago.

"I am in a limbo," Sigyn tells him. "Do you know what that means? It is the neutral point between life and death."

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 9:02 AM_

Hospitals or SHIELD were never the places to go. In situations like this, they could only rely on each other and Stark Towers, especially since this dilemma was probably not going to destroy it. Keyword: probably. Stark Towers has been through enough.

Emily, Daniel, James, and Iqadi took care of the medical portion of hooking up Xavier and getting his vitals. The same results came up: breathing present, heart rate absent. As they ponder on that, Angela stands behind them, anxiously on her toes. By the window, Merida and Apollo stand next to one another, basically only being here for moral support.

"I knew this medical wing would come in handy," Emily says, complimenting herself only to make everyone breathe a little during all this. "One of us is always getting hurt."

"I wouldn't call this as being hurt," Merida says, glancing at Xavier. She puts a hand on Angela's shoulder. "It will be okay..."

Angela puts her own hand on top. "I'll believe you when we know what's going on."

Nobody has an understanding as to what's going on. They all have searched through many medical journals, reports, miracle stories, but none of them matched this case. They couldn't report Xavier as dead since he was still breathing despite his heart not beating. None of them knew where to start in determining what exactly this is since they couldn't pinpoint how this happened.

"Blood doesn't seem to be pooling anywhere which is good..." Daniel mutters. "

"This wasn't one of your contingency plans, right?" James asks Iqadi.

"Not mine," Iqadi replies. "Nothing in Wakanda is capable of this."

Merida stands back as she watches all her friends worry and work. She's worried too but doesn't show it as much compared to the others. A part of her is glad that she went down first during the contingency plans because she would not stomach being able to see this but up a couple notches.

She steps out for some air to think.

-o-

 _Hel_

"So, you're not dead," Xavier states questionably.

Sigyn shrugs. Xavier is on his toes, unsure of how to approach that. She did say she was in a limbo but he didn't understand what she meant by that. It had to be that she was either dead or alive, not in between or in a limbo.

Xavier sighs. "You look awful, you know that?"

Sigyn nods. Xavier doesn't have to see her face change because he knows that she knows he's lying. Sigyn always looked beautiful to him even if she resembled a mess which she currently does.

"So, what happened?" Xavier asks.

"I wish I knew," she responds flatly.

"What's going to happen?"

"I wish I did not know."

Xavier opens his mouth to ask the next question but unexpectedly, she beats him to it.

"How is Apollo?" Sigyn asks, her voice shaking a little when she gets to his name.

"He came to us with no memory of what happened on Asgard," Xavier replies. "He has flashbacks every now and then but other than that, he's fine."

Sigyn nods slowly, drifting off in thought. Xavier notices that her reaction seems as if she already knew or expected that to be the outcome of Apollo's arrival. Well, it should've been since he had a dream and some hallucinations (which may not have exactly been dreams and hallucinations the more he thinks about it) of her telling him to get Apollo.

"Why is he like that?" Xavier questions.

Sigyn sighs sharply as if her mental coin has suddenly flipped to its other side. "Apollo is merely overreacting! He got me and everyone else all terrified so we had to get him out of Asgard to calm him down. It was all just a little death prophesy."

 _The death prophecy._ Xavier and the others learned about it during their high school graduation. Apparently, Apollo is destined by fate to kill Sigyn. Why would that be a present issue? He has no idea. Why would Sigyn seem to not care about it? He needs to know.

"Sigyn..." Xavier mutters carefully. "You do understand that there's no such thing as a little death prophesy."

Sigyn looks at him. "Of course I do! I have always known that! I knew that longer than everyone else and understand it unlike some people out there!"

She's angry, her breathing is heavy and rapid. Xavier remains calm and silent, looking down at her shimmering hands which she doesn't seem to notice. If she were to lash out at him and his questions, he wouldn't know how to defend himself. He waits for her to simmer down a little since heR emotions can change at the flip of a coin.

Xavier's face softens. "Why can't you or Apollo tell us anything?"

Instead of rage, sadness and guilt appear in her eyes. She knows the secrecy right now is doing nobody any good but it was the events that happened in the past seven years that she needed to keep hidden from not only Xavier...

"Because saying it aloud makes it real and then we lose ourselves more than we already have," Sigyn whispers, barely audible.

But herself as well.

Xavier looks at her, knowing that she isn't going to say any more about that tender topic, at least not yet but that's just his optimism speaking on behalf of his fear. At least he now has some indication as to why Apollo has no memories but that only leads up to more unanswered questions like why they are both in Hel.

"What are you doing here?" Xavier asks her.

"Nothing," Sigyn replies. An obvious lie.

Hela laughs wickedly, making Sigyn and Xavier jump a little. In the heat of their conversation, they forgot that Hela was still hovering above them. This time, she was just watching and observing, getting glimpses of their weaknesses which she definitely already knew.

"You have all the power in all the realms and now I gave you this mortal with a weapon, and you are still going to do nothing?" Hela grins widely and scarily. "Well then, let the fun begin."

"Fun?" Sigyn questions.

"It might take a while to wake up my army and since I am saving them for my favorite day to come, I suppose my fleet will suffice."

Hela blows into her horn and a deep, billowing noise echoes through the empty realm. Then, it's silent for a moment before the ground starts to rumble. The dryness of the ground below starts to crackle, hands of armored skeletons making an exit from below. Xavier struggles to keep balance as Sigyn stands paralyzed in fear, lost in her own thoughts.

"Sigyn!" Xavier exclaims. "C'mon, let's go!"

Sigyn doesn't start moving until Xavier grabs her hand and leads the way. They run away to the sound of Hela's laugh and forming fleet.

* * *

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will they ever find out how Xavier ended up like that?**


	95. A Living Hel Part Three

**_Recap_ \- Hela has now sent her fleet on Xavier and Sigyn all while Xavier is now settled in at Emily's hospital at Stark Towers while they try to figure out what is happening**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Five: A Living Hel Part Three

 _Stark Towers - 9:44 AM_

They all sit around the hospital wing in a deafening silence. Some of them are pondering, others wondering, and then the rest examining. What they did so far was looking into the deep web of scientific journals and medical periodicals to see if there was ever a case like this anywhere. Nothing showed up. They also thought of the possibilities that could restart Xavier's heart but there was the risk of blowing up his heart this actually killing him.

"Science and medicine learn more and more about the world as it goes on - it evolves and improves based on what happened," Daniel mutters. "I'm sorry, but I honestly have no idea how this is biologically possible. Blood travels to the heart to get oxygen but blood isn't flowing which is what I don't understand."

"We should call our parents for help," Angela says. It sounds more like pleading rather than suggesting.

"They will just be in the same position as us," James says, "but just a bit more worried than us."

"We could take the risk at restarting his heart through our own means," Iqadi suggests. "There's the same chance in it killing him as it is saving him."

"I don't want to gamble on this," Angela states. "We still have time. Oxygen is still somehow making it to his brain so it's fine."

Daniel nods as he checks Xavier's vitals again. "Speaking of his brain, it's going through a lot of activity. For some reason, it resembles what it would if he were sparring or fighting with someone."

"Maybe he's dreaming of a battle," James suggests hypothetically. "You gotta do something while downunder."

-o-

 _Hel_

Xavier gets knocked over by one of Hela's skeletons. It pins him down on the ground and to his surprise, they are strong for a pile of bones. Xavier kicks it away and hops back on his feet. He pulls his shield from his back and spins around, bashing the few that were behind him. He sees Sigyn and she's just standing there, swatting the skeletons away with her magic but with not enough power.

For Xavier, seeing Sigyn was both the best thing that has happened to him, even though he has no clue what was going on and it was like being with a stranger. He wanted to be happy to see her but aside from all the Hel drama, she was being so stagnant and drained that it was agitating him but only because he didn't know why she was being like this. He covers up his feelings by taking part in the battle against Hela's fleet with great energy, fighting for the both of them.

Xavier avoids her eyes to not see her gloomy demeanor, but whenever they would accidentally brush by one another, his heart would skip a beat. When their eyes would meet for a slim second, he swears that her cold aura heats up for a moment.

Sigyn jumps a little when she sees one of Hela's skeletons come at her with its spear. It almost pierces her torso but her fate-ridden magical forcefield forms around her as protection. That's when she realizes that she's still in a limbo but Xavier isn't. Unlike her, his shield can't ensure survival.

She sees Xavier using his shield and it reminds her of a warrior in action. Sigyn can't help but stare and admire the man Xavier has become in the span of seven years. She tries to ignore an itching thought at the back of her mind. The one that keeps on telling her that the more Xavier fight back and shows Hela's fleet how strong and powerful a mortal is, the more likely he is to die of he isn't already dead.

Hela's fleet grows by the second. Xavier sees the crowd of them coming his way and he backs up, holding his shield in defense. He tenses up a little as he feels Sigyn's warm fingers press against his back. They're steady against him, calming. When Sigyn takes her hands back, they're glowing, almost as if she's expelled his nervous energy onto the fleet. Xavier watches her magical fingers that are still covered in several rings. He's so mesmerized by both the magic and her jewelry that he almost missed her fists blading her power towards the fleet, plowing them over.

"You're helping me?" Xavier asks.

Sigyn opens her mouth to answer but nothing coming out. She looks past Xavier, above him and sees Hela hovering. Her arms are crossed in a delighted disappointment that she knows is aimed toward her.

"Wrong battle," Hela says, sounding like a scold towards Sigyn.

Sigyn turns around to run off. Xavier calls her name as she trips over her own feet. Hela throws a portal her way and she falls right through it.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - Time Unknown_

Sigyn lands on her feet, unsure of where she is. The light hits her eyes and it feels foreign to her after being in the dark depths of Hel for so long. She inhales and exhales slowly as she examines the area. It's quiet and empty. This entire place seems familiar yet unfamiliar all at the same time which scares her more than Hel ever did. She turns around and sees someone lying on a bed. Sigyn quietly walks over, the heels of he boots clicking on the ground.

With the surrounding vital machines that her eyes first land on, she knows that she's in some sort of hospital. Then, her eyes land on the hospital bed in front of her and she sees Xavier lying there unconscious.

She picks up the clipboard on his bedside table to see what happened. Her mind is unable to process the typed words as one since her eyes fill with tears. She refuses to believe that this is real yet if there was something that could make his heart stop beating but also rip it out of his chest, it was her, it was Britney Braun, at least.

Sigyn still has the medical report in her hands. Unaware of her actions, she lights up her pointer finger and scrawls across it as if she was writing with a pen. Once done, she's conscious of what she did and she hates it.

Sigyn is paralyzed for what feels like an eternity. Fight or flight, they called it and yet, she wasn't moving. She has to stop herself from collapsing right then and there...and get out. She runs. She didn't know what else to do except escape from what she just saw.

-o-

 _Hel_

Xavier has his grip on the jaw of a skeleton who was about to bite into him like an animal. He takes his shield and uses it as a means to slice off the bone head. He looks out at the growing fleet and doesn't know how long he can take this, so he runs as well.

He runs without even looking. He doesn't care where he goes as long as he can outrun a fleet of skeletons. Xavier turns back to see how much ahead he is and he crashes.

While falling, he's grateful that out of all things to crash into in Hel, it was Sigyn again. She positions herself on top of him as they fall, acting as a shield as she makes her magic explodes all around them. Xavier looks up as Sigyn nestled into him tighter. The fleet disintegrates in seconds and again, they are left in silence.

Sigyn stays on top of Xavier longer, turning it into a hug of some sorts. Xavier slowly rests a hand on the small of her back and she doesn't protest. It feels safe to be in his arms again, feeling his breath against her neck. Memories come back. Their eyes meet and she rests her hands on his defined chest while his firm, gentle hand runs through her hair and the others holds her head at her cheek. He's so dominant and strong that Sigyn has to stop herself from melting into him.

"You're either dead or your dreaming," Sigyn states.

Xavier doesn't even nod. It seems like he didn't really care about how he got here because he's with her. Sigyn nods as she rolls off him and gets back on her feet.

Xavier gets up and picks up his shield. "Can we have a normal conversation for a bit?"

Sigyn nods.

Xavier smiles a little. "How have you been recently?"

Sigyn bites her lip. "My life has literally been a living hell."

That was totally an intentional pun. Xavier knows it, Sigyn knows it, but neither of them laughs.

"Have you dated anyone on Asgard?" Xavier asks next.

Sigyn snorts a laugh and it surprised not only him but herself as well. She knows that he asked that for his own pleasure but just to lighten up the conversation a little. That was the first time she's laughed in seven years. It felt foreign to her yet so familiar.

"None," Sigyn admits. "Asgardian boys do not line up to date the daughter of Loki and Amora. They run the other way which is smart."

Sigyn starts walking again and Xavier huffs.

"Hey, we were in the middle of a conversation!" Xavier yells at her.

Sigyn doesn't even turn around. "Yeah, and now it is over."

"Seven years, Sigyn! Seven years! Do you know how long that is?"

Sigyn takes a breath, brushing her hair out of the way as she turns back around. She seems more awake now, according to Xavier, but was that really a good thing?

"Yes," she states. "It's longer than six years but not quite as long as eight."

"Cut the crap."

Sigyn is taken aback at this sudden sharpness in his voice. She straightens her posture.

"Tell me now," he orders. "Why haven't we seen you or Apollo in seven years?"

Sigyn wraps her arms around herself. "You will not like the truth."

"Try me."

"I got banned from Midgard."

Xavier isn't sure he heard that right. "...what?"

"You know, Apollo and I had a plan to visit you all after a year so we could see how you all were doing, possibly watch Emily and Daniel wed, but then..."

Sigyn trails off and rolls her hand, referring to the fact that she got they're both in Hel. It isn't as much of an explanation that Xavier was expecting but he will go along with it.

Xavier nods. "So, why did you get banned?"

"Apollo and I made a promise with one another and I broke it badly," Sigyn replies. "I tried arguing with him but he got so mad up to the point where I was scared that he would actually kill me."

"Did you get banished here as punishment?"

"Nope."

"Then, how long have you been here?"

Sigyn stares at him and says nothing. Xavier takes a step closer to her.

"When you first appeared in my dream and told me to get Apollo, you were in this forest," Xavier prompts. "Sigyn, please be honest with me, how long have you been in Hel?"

"The night you found Apollo was when I first arrived," she mutters.

Xavier freezes. She has been here for months.

"What - " he starts "what kind of promise could you have broken done to not only end up here but get banned from Midgard? What ticked off Thor that much?"

Sigyn laughs but unlike before, this was straight-up cackling like a madwoman. She cackles so hard that she has to bend over and hold her side. Once she's done, she swipes back up and her hair flies over her head.

"That is the funny part," Sigyn admits, "the true ironies of all ironies. Thor did not ban me. Apollo did."

* * *

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Sigyn reveal more of what happened on Asgard?**


	96. A Living Hel Part Four

**_Recap_ \- Sigyn and Xavier were in battle on Hel when she left a message on his medical records. Afterwards, she revealed that she hasn't been seen in seven years because he banned her from Midgard**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Six: A Living Hel Part Four

 _Hel_

They move at a slow pace, keeping low and out of sight even though Hela could always see them. It was just a gut instinct of what to do. It feels like every step they took summoned another creature, but nothing would appear. They only stop once, when a streak of light dances over their heads. It was nothing so they keep walking.

Sigyn's mind keeps going back to seeing Xavier in the hospital room, specifically with what she wrote on the medical report. It just reminds her how much of this is her fault for several problems. Xavier is here because of his feelings for her. She needs to distract herself from them and how she feels about him in return. She has this power over him, over everyone. It's dangerous and it always has been. The only difference about now is that they are at that age where they can't keep pretending that everything is normal.

"You are very quiet," Sigyn says.

"I'm trying to digest what you told me," Xavier replies.

Sigyn scoffs a little. "Oh, Xavier, that is only a nibble of the entire course."

Xavier suddenly stops walking. If Apollo banning Sigyn from Midgard over a broken promise was only a nibble, he doesn't want to continue eating even though he should.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 10:53 AM_

"Yo," Merida whispers to Emily, pulling her to the side of the room. She points at Xavier. "I think this was all Britney."

"You blamed Britney for literally everything," Emily responds.

"Because she's the missing link! Not only is she the only one of us not here but she is also the only one not directly in Apollo's memories."

Emily nods, listening carefully. "I'm listening."

"Britney took Xavier's heart metaphorically once upon a time and now she took it literally."

"What the actual fuck..."

Meanwhile, Apollo stands above Xavier's bed, thinking to himself about how impossible this all was. He heard his friends constantly say how this wasn't scientifically or biologically possible and he kept quiet since that wasn't his expertise to weigh in on. However, he does come from a land with ways that defy all things science and is a possible explanation of how Xavier ended up like this.

"I have a possibility that your science cannot deduce," Apollo says.

"What's that?" Daniel asks.

"Magic."

Nobody is surprised after that word is said since it's the only possibility that makes sense. Merida looks at Emily and mouths 'Britney', enunciating every syllable. Emily is too stunned to come up with a snarky response.

"You need to get back to Asgard," James tells him, remembering their earlier conversation.

Apollo nods, leaving the room. They don't know if he's actually going to return or just step out to think about returning. He obviously feels some sort of bad taboo that comes with going back home which is why he hasn't even tried to go back.

"Uh, guys," Daniel says, peeking at the medical records. "You might want to see this."

Daniel holds up the medical record for them to see. Across the printed text is a message written in green, sparkling magic. Specifically, it's _her_ green, sparkling magic.

 _'I will take care of it. - Sigyn'_

-o-

 _Hel_

The realm has gone silent, replaced by the sound of their own footsteps against the dry ground. Only the equivalent of Hel's dark sun filtered down through a thick canopy of dead branches. Time seems to stretch forever. Xavier moves warily through the decayed underbrush, his shield on his back. Ahead, Sigyn strolls along, unconcerned about anything which concerns him.

"Britney," Xavier calls.

Sigyn freezes and clenches her fists as she feels her powers resurfacing.

"Stop saying that name," Sigyn pleads as she forces herself to unclench her fists. "You do not know me anymore. You are only in love with memories that warmed you up on the inside and will tear you apart the more you dwell on them."

Xavier's hands begin to shake. "Tell me everything."

There is a long pause. A sickeningly long pause.

"You will despise me," Sigyn murmurs.

Her chest sinks, making her feel small. She crosses her arms so hard across her chest that her bones begin to ache.

"I could never hate you," Xavier replies. "I love you, whatever the hell your name is. Do you hear me?! I love you, Britney Braun or Sigyn Lokisdottir. I love you. The best day of my life was back in the eighth grade when you sat on the handlebars of my bicycle because that's when I knew I had feelings for you. Actually, no, that's a lie. That was the second best day of my life. The best day was when you told me you loved me."

If only she could pretend she never heard that because it hurts like hell. Sigyn grabs his shoulders and looks right at him. Her face is an inch from his but he suddenly sees a stranger.

"That's done," she says softly yet sharply. "All of those are your memories. We are both in danger right now and all you can think about is something that you felt seven years ago. You act like nothing has happened in the past seven years yet look at where the hell we are! What's wrong with you? If you love someone so much, you should give them up."

She hates her words. She hates what she's done to him. She hates herself. Xavier's face doesn't budge as he takes another step closer to her. Her eyes stay locked on his.

"Britney..." He whispers. "I am still in love with you. Do you not know what that means?"

"Yes," she states.

Xavier rolls his eyes. "It means that I am completely vulnerable to you. You have the power and the ability to destroy me emotionally but I'm trusting you not to. I can't just automatically turn off my feelings for you. If I really wanted to give up on you, I would've left you alone the moment I found out you were Loki's daughter."

She doesn't back away, no, her lips unconsciously move closer to his - but she stops herself with her palm making its way to his face. Xavier grabs her wrist, stopping her from slapping him. His eyes dart towards the silver bracelet on her wrist. Her eyes look at it as well before they look at each other again.

"Sigyn Lokisdottir of Asgard has all the most precious Asgardian jewels at her reach," Xavier says. "What is Sigyn doing with this cheap charm bracelet that I bought for her when she went by Britney? Huh?"

Sigyn remains silent, this time she's stunned.

"Let's see..." Xavier mutters. "What do these four-letter charms stand for? There's A for Amber, C for Crystal, C for Courtney, and B for Britney."

Sigyn still says nothing as Xavier lets go of her wrist. Her eyes fill with tears but still look into his.

"I thought that you, Sigyn Lokisdottir, forgot who you were," Xavier says. "If you didn't love me anymore, I probably wouldn't be here with you, would I? If you truly believe whatever crap you're saying, you would've discarded that bracelet a long time ago."

She is truly speechless. Xavier gives her a grin from the corner of his mouth.

"When we get out of this, I'm buying the S charm," Xavier promises.

* * *

 **Remember that charm bracelet that Xavier gave Britney back in Britney's story? Yup, that was it and I'm crying.**

 **Please visit the poll on my profile!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Hela's making one final move on Sigyn and Xavier...**


	97. A Living Hel Part Five

**I am bored in English, not listening to presentation because I just crammed my Economics homework.**

 ** _Recap_ \- As they figured out the possibility of magic being the reason behind Xavier's state, Xavier revealed his true feelings for Sigyn**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Living Hel Part Five

 _Hel_

Just as Hel's sun was kissing the horizon, almost blindingly dark. Sigyn stops and turns back to see Xavier halting. He tries to follow her gaze but sees nothing he could understand. He just confessed the love he felt for this girl, even for the past seven years when they were technically broken up, and she kept on brushing past him in silence. It hurts, yes, but what hurts, even more, is that he still doesn't know why she is being like this.

"Stop," Xavier commands and she listens. "Look, I can't do this anymore but I'm hoping this can change because I seriously can't live without you."

"Sure, you can," Sigyn replies.

Xavier laughs, in a huffing way. "You really think I can live without you? Because I haven't had any luck with that."

"Not true. You are a man in a uniform and two working lungs. You also had all those years of _'luck'_ before we officially met."

Her air quotes around that word bother him.

"That doesn't count," he continues. "I didn't know what I was missing before I met you."

"Crying? Confusion?"

"Sigyn."

"Xavier."

They both stare at one another, keeping their mouths shut. Sigyn starts walking again, faster this time but that doesn't stop Xavier from speeding up to match her pace.

"Why are you trying so hard to push me away?" He asks her.

"I told you that you would hate me," Sigyn says.

Xavier grabs her bicep and stops her, making sure that she's looking at him.

"Your emotions get in the way," Sigyn tells him.

"Your emotions make you lose your way," Xavier spits back.

"My emotions are saving me!" She screams.

"Your emotions are killing you!"

Angry tears escape her eyes. She really wants to hate him for what he's saying to her because it's all true and she just didn't want it to come to the surface. Before their argument could go any further, Hela appears, giving the two of them a slow clap. She snickers but Xavier and Sigyn don't know why.

"My, my..." Hela mutters. "This mortal impressed me not only with his combat but now with his words. He has done his work for me so now, his time is up."

Still unsure of what Hela meant, Sigyn and Xavier remain quiet.

Hela's hand warms up with her black magic as her eyes stay on Xavier. They narrow as Xavier's widen. Sigyn shakes her head rapidly in a naive disbelief. Hela fires her dark magic at him and Sigyn screams as she blasts back her own. She shields Xavier as Hela keep on pushing her wrath on them.

Hel blurs all around them in a cyclone of the two spells. With her free hand, Sigyn grabs Xavier and wraps her arm around him. And now, seven years later, they're finally here: folded together like this with Hela's magic swirling all around them, but they can only hear each other's heartbeats loud and clear in their ears. They look into each other's eyes and despite what's happening, all the fear and adrenaline drain from their bodies; replacing it with heat and long-awaited passion.

Lips tingling, she arches her neck towards him but she pulls away again. The space between them increases and the warmth that was once their fills with a harsh breeze. Sigyn lets go of Xavier and pushes him back. She lights up her free hand, her green magic glowing brighter than Hela's. She swirls it around as if she was holding a sphere.

"What are you doing?!" Xavier asks, holding out an arm for her.

"I am sorry, my darling," Sigyn mutters back unsure if he heard that. "I love you and the world needs you more than me."

Xavier screams as Sigyn throws her sphere of magic at him.

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 11:03 AM_

A machine starts beeping as Xavier wakes up in a sudden gasp for air. The bright lights blind his vision for a few seconds before he is able to see again. He takes a few seconds to process where he is an immediately rips the wires attached to his body. He doesn't know what happened but he does know this: he saw Sigyn and then something went wrong.

Then, it hits him: if he woke up in some sort of hospital, then maybe his encounter with Sigyn was another dream. But if it was, why did it feel so real? Why did he really feel as if he was in her presence, in a different realm? Why did he feel so different after that experience if it was only just a dream?

If it was just a dream, then that means that all of his confessions of his feelings towards Sigyn were all a waste.

Xavier looks up and sees that nobody is in the room with him. He sits up and slides his feet over the edge of the bed. He sees a clipboard with a medical report on his bedside table and picks it up just to see how and why he was in a hospital. He skims through it and stops once he sees her writing.

 _'I will take care of it - Sigyn'_

It happened. That is all he needs to know to verify that everything in Hel did happen. He saw Sigyn. He had her in his arms. He held the bracelet. _It all happened._ The last moments of Hel flash in his mind - the magic, the grasp, the love, the final words -

"Xavier?" Angela questions, walking in.

Xavier looks up and sees Angela. At first, he thought and hoped it was Sigyn but he's happy to see his twin after all he's been through. She cries tears of joy as she runs over and so does he. It was heartwarming for him to see a sunshine-like face after being in the darkness of Hel for so long.

"Oh, my god," she mutters. "We were all so worried about you and didn't know what to do. Are you okay? What happened?"

Xavier takes a breath. He isn't really sure how to explain it since he isn't completely sure what happened.

"Sigyn's in trouble."

Angela pauses. "What?"

"Where's Apollo?"

-o-

 _Hel_

The wind blows and Sigyn lies on the ground, defeated. Her cheeks are stained with the trail of cried tears and her chest feels so constricted. All that happened with Xavier sticks in her mind, playing on repeat. She has never felt so weak and vulnerable in her life that was hanging on a string.

"Awe..." Hela mutters, standing above and looking down at her. Her pity sounds absolutely fake and Sigyn doesn't bother to respond with even the slightest facial motion. "Poor, poor little Sigyn. You should live, Sigyn. You have to live. Promise, Sigyn. Promise me you will use your power for good and survive."

Sigyn looks up at her and scoffs. " _You_ , Goddess of Death, are asking _me_ to survive and do a good thing? Wow, for a moment, I actually believed that you care about me."

Hela shrugs.

"Why did you bring Xavier?" Sigyn just has to ask.

"I brought him but you kept him," she responds. Sigyn says nothing since she needs an explanation. "Think about it, you have all the power in all the Realms and yet, you have been wallowing in my Realm for months and could have returned him at any time. You could have left at any time and not be submissive to my power! Does any of that not mean anything to you?"

"No. You should have brought Apollo instead."

Hela rolls her eyes. "You, Lokisdottir, are impossible. You truly are. I have gone out of my evil ways to try and assist you but you simply do not listen or take the time to think. I have truly wasted my time."

"Everything you say is the same - riddles, obscurities - I do not speak or comprehend those things and now everyone will know where to locate me. Quickly, Hela, I beg of you, hide me somewhere outside from Asgard. Banish me, throw me into an abyss, anywhere where I will never be seen again."

Hela studies Sigyn for a bit, a small smirk growing on her face. "Get up."

Sigyn slowly stands and the studying continues. Hela circles Sigyn, eyeing her up and down.

Sigyn faces her. "You were supposed to help me!"

"You and Apollo are so much alike when you do not get your way, both enraged like tantrum-ridden children and forgetful. Tis a shame that fate put the lives of everyone in the Realms in both of your hands when you two cannot even take care of yourselves."

Sigyn is left speechless.

"I am a being of evil, but take courage and touch my hand." Hela holds out her hand for Sigyn. "Do not be afraid; do what I ask." Sigyn hesitates before taking Hela's hand. "You will be punished."

"Punished?!" Sigyn yells. "But, I have done nothing!"

"Exactly."

An instant chill rolls down Sigyn's spine as Hela's grip on her hand tightens to the point where it will shatter her bones. Sigyn chokes on a gasp as Hela lifts Sigyn off the ground by her hand, her feet fluttering above the ground. With her other hand, Hela grabs Sigyn's face tightly, almost cracking it as well, and holds it right in front of her face.

"Get out of my Realm."

Hela throws Sigyn to the ground and turns her back on her. Sigyn catches her breath, staggering, before making a portal and stepping through, not even knowing or caring where it will go.

* * *

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Xavier is going to confront Apollo about his experience in Hel, possibly triggering more lost memories from Apollo.**


	98. In a Limbo

**Happy birthday to me and my queen, Hayley Atwell!**

 ** _Recap_ \- Xavier has returned to Midgard just as Sigyn got kicked out of Hel**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Eight: In a Limbo

 _Stark Towers - 11:26 AM_

"Xavier, wait!"

Xavier storms out of the hospital wing and that's when he realizes that he's at Stark Towers. Angela runs behind him, calling him back as Xavier sees the others. They all stand at his presence, surprised to see that he is awake. Xavier doesn't even stop running because he just goes straight to Apollo and punches him right in the face.

Everyone else jumps out at him, wondering what that was about. Apollo, still bent over from the punch, holds his jaw. Xavier did no damage towards him, but Apollo raises his eyebrows because he is very impressed. He looks up at Xavier, expecting a raged explanation for his actions based on his approach and punch.

"Did you kill Sigyn or not?" Xavier asks.

Apollo is taken aback for a minute and so is everyone else. Apollo laughs a little but then stops when he sees how serious Xavier is about this.

"I do not know who Sigyn is," Apollo says.

"You do! You know her and I saw her!" Xavier screams at him. "I was probably unconscious here but I was in Hel - that afterlife Realm or something like that - with Sigyn. Your cousin who you don't remember for some damn reason!"

Apollo is silent, processing what Xavier just yelled at him. The others all gather together behind them, listening in closely and figuring out what this was about.

"I hope he isn't going crazy..." James mutters.

"I knew Britney was involved," Merida says. "Even before that cryptic note."

"I feel more scared than I should be," Emily whispers.

"Is this a side-effect of something?" Iqadi asks.

"Not that I know of," Daniel replies.

Apollo still shakes his head at Xavier's words and Xavier feels more defeated than ever.

"I was with her!" Xavier yells. "She told me bits and pieces of what happened on Asgard for the past seven years. She said that she broke a promise with you about that death prophecy and then you banned her from Midgard! What the hell happened?!"

Apollo isn't sure how to take this. Everything Xavier said goes on an orbit around his head. Some familiar, others not. Xavier seems so persistent on getting the answers that he knows he won't be able to get, but that won't stop him from asking.

"She said she was in a limbo but she was there and has been for months. Maybe she was just mentioning the limbo to make me feel at ease, I don't know..."

"Are you done?" Apollo asks carefully.

"I guess," Xavier replies weakly.

"Have you finally uncoiled?"

Xavier looks up at Apollo, remembering a conversation they had when Apollo first came back. Xavier mentioned how he felt coiled about his feelings towards his Britney Braun and now she might be Sigyn and his cousin. No, now he _knows_ that Sigyn is his cousin. That's when he realizes that they're the same person which makes him feel even more guilty for a reason that comes with his lost memories.

"Come on..." Xavier begs. "I need some sort of reassurance to make this all sound normal."

"This is not normal," Apollo responds. "We need less of this and more figuring it out what the hell to do."

Apollo steps out. Xavier stops himself from going after him.

He shakes a little as his anger turns to tears just at the mere possibility of Sigyn being dead. The others all feel the same but to the extent, as he does. Angela goes to comfort Xavier, resisting the urge to cry as well but failing, using his shoulder for support. James stands on the spot, completely frozen as if he was unable to comprehend what could be going on. Iqadi lowers her head and looks at the ground, praying for a miracle. Daniel's removed his glasses and wipes his eyes. Emily dabs at her running mascara and Merida has to bite down on her fist as she holds back from crying.

"Britney could still be alive..." Iqadi mutters. Her optimism isn't all that convincing with her sad tone.

"Then, why are we crying?" Angela questions.

"Because we do not know for sure."

-o-

Apollo didn't go far. He just stepped outside the room and leans against the wall right beside the doorframe. He runs his hands through his hair as he tries to think about what Xavier just said to him as he puts his head in his hands and rests them on his knees.

Apparently, Xavier said he just went to Hel with this Sigyn. Hel is one of the realms dealing with the afterlife. Xavier asked him if he killed Sigyn. Based on that alone, it does seem possible that maybe he did kill Sigyn - his own cousin. Then, there was the mention of a broken promise, the prophecy, and the ban from Midgard; all of which he doesn't understand.

However, that raises more questions for him. He has had hallucinations with Sigyn in them, most of which included the Serpent Crown. She always spoke about time running out and accepting it. What was she talking about? What did she mean? Did that time already run out?

Apollo looks up and sees Sigyn sitting against the wall across from him. Her legs are crossed and like always, she has the Serpent Crown on her head. Now that he's getting a good look at her, he does see the similarity between her and Xavier's Britney Braun. This is all another one of his hallucinations, he knows that.

"What is going on?" Apollo asks her, his voice shaking.

Sigyn scoffs as if he's pathetic in her eyes. "The prophecy is true. The final battle will change everything. Gods and a monster will fight and the whole world will begin anew. The words of all those around you have brought you terror and confusion. I cannot agree with them, nor can I speak against them. I do not know what to say. You waver in hope and fear, unable to see forward or back."

Apollo feels cold now. He isn't sure whether or not to trust this hallucination of Sigyn but he is leaning towards doing so since she seems true to her word and since she is his cousin. He watches as Sigyn slides forwards to be closer to him. He doesn't budge as the Serpent Crown taps on his head and makes him shudder.

"I will take care of it," she tells him. "You just have to show up."

Apollo shakes his head, scooting away from her. "What are you talking about?"

"Our fates..."

She vanishes before Apollo could ask more. Apollo sits back and thinks about how much more confused he became. Sigyn could be alive and about to die or maybe she already died and that was just a lost memory.

Maybe he did kill her. _Maybe he killed his own cousin._

Maybe he killed her and got sent to Midgard with no memories of it as a charge for murder.

Apollo feels tears form in his eyes and roll down his cheek. Did they have any meaning?

-o-

 _Location Unknown_

Her heels click in the emptiness, echoing throughout. She can't see in the darkness surrounding her so she lights up her hand, a green light displays her face and shows her the way. She may have made the portal but she sure as hell doesn't know where it took her.

"Hello?" Sigyn asks only because the silence was bothering her.

She hears a noise. Sigyn pulls her arm back, still keeping the light of her magic on. She breathes slowly, quietly. Maybe her own mind was playing tricks with her. Maybe it was Hela haunting her. Maybe it was both.

Sigyn takes another step forwards and feels her back erect at the sudden electricity flow through her veins. She chokes on a cry for help as she falls to the ground, her magic dimming down and the sound of someone else's heels filling in the darkness.

* * *

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Find out what happened to Sigyn and figure out what her next move is...**


	99. Vitality

**Thank you all for the birthday wishes and yes, that last chapter was confusing but if you think about it, everyone is confused about everything that is going on. That was the effect I was going for: make all of us confused alongside with them.**

 **After the publication of this chapter, I am taking a break, and not like my usual month break because I genuinely don't know how long I will be out this time. More on this will be mentioned at the end.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After being kicked out of Hel, Sigyn is somewhere she doesn't know and is in the hands of a stranger.**

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Vitality

 _SHIELD Prisons - 1:30 AM_

Ex-Agent Mike Tapper sits in his prison cell, counting the minutes down as to how long he's been here since he has nothing better to do. A SHIELD prison guard doing her usual rounds on duty stops in front of his cell. She eyes him until he looks up at her, suddenly losing count. He thinks that she'll just disregard him and go back to her rounds, but she doesn't move.

"Why are you staring at me?" Mike finally asks.

"I'm just wondering which fist to punch you with," the guard responds.

To Mike's surprise, the guard opens his cell door and lets herself in. He stands up and sees that she isn't arming herself in any way for defense which makes him suspicious. She obviously has some sort of plan in mind. He quickly thinks of an escape plan and how to take this guard down, but then recognizes her stance and semi-obvious disguise.

"Ivory Gates..." He mutters with a small laugh. "Where the hell have you been hiding this whole time?"

Ivory snickers as she ditches her disguise. She takes a breath as she fixes her dark hair and straightens her uniform.

"The one place SHIELD would never think to look," Ivory responds, "their own institution."

Ever since Ivory escaped prison after Project: New Generation's first mission, SHIELD has been looking for her with no luck. She decided to disguise herself as a SHIELD agent since nobody would've ever expected that. Then, ever since then Agent Tapper got caught for betrayal, every agent was assigned to go under extreme polygraphic testing. That was when Ivory realized that she had to make an exit now.

"Oh," Ivory says, "you thought I was breaking you out as well?"

Mike rolls his eyes. "I didn't think you cared."

"I don't. You know, I considered busting you out but after I remembered that you lost to Project: New Generation when I gave you the ways to their demise, I thought you'd do better in here."

"Then, why the hell did you come here? To gloat?"

Ivory claps her hands once. "Exactly! You know, while I was here, I did a little further researching on the team and realized that they are as young as I, but with a lot more power. And then, look who appeared on my doorstep."

Ivory opens her phone and shows Mike a picture of Sigyn lying unconscious somewhere. Mike's face scrunches up a little in confusion.

"Who is that?" Mike questions.

Ivory puts her phone away. "You'd know if you were a better agent and got a higher clearance. That, stupid man, is Sigyn Lokisdottir. She's beautiful and she glows. Who would've thought that the daughter of Loki would play a vital part in all of Project: New Generation..."

-o-

 _Location Unknown - 4:06 AM_

Sigyn awakens by a slap on the face. For a few seconds, she's afraid that she's in Hel but then remembers that she left Hel and is now somewhere else. Once her vision focuses, she sees a mere mortal standing in front of her. That's when Sigyn feels something in her mind snap just as her limbs remain sore.

"Who the hell are you and what did you do?" Sigyn grumbles, not in the mood to deal with whatever this is.

"Ivory Gates," she introduces.

"Again, who?"

Ivory rolls her eyes. "I've met your friends before, most of them at least. We didn't exactly view life the same way."

"This is Midgard, right? Earth?" Sigyn asks. Ivory nods. "How did I get here?"

"You showed up without knocking."

Sigyn nods, seeing herself doing that. She curses to herself about her stupid portals. Sigyn tries to move her arms but feels them tied behind her back. She tries to break through the restraints but struggles for some odd reason. She could usually snap through them like a twig.

"Princess Iqadi came up with a contingency plan to take all of you down," Ivory explains. "It said something along the lines about how you can't perform magic when your hands are bound or occupied."

"Great," she grunts sarcastically.

Sigyn rolls her eyes and tries to break through them anyways. She refuses to be told she can't because some mortal reading Iqadi's words said so. However, she has to accept defeat and just not understand how. Ivory stands nearby, watching.

"Those cuffs are Vibranium," Ivory explains. "Not even Thor's hammer can break it."

"I do not need his saving," Sigyn tells her, figuring out how to stand without her arms to help her. "He currently hates me and I am sort of avoiding him at the moment." She tries to break free again and fails again. "You really think a plan will end me or Project: New Generation?"

"With more time, they would have worked..." Ivory reasons. "They were just in the hands of a moron."

Sigyn scoffs. "Typical. Look, Ivory, plans will not end my dear friends, but I can..."

Ivory tilts her head a little. "You're willing to abandon your friends and use your magic against them? I don't even have to persuade you?"

"I am young and inexperienced but also free and reckless."

Ivory is intrigued all of a sudden. "Now, the fun begins..."

"For me, at least." Sigyn walks closer to Ivory. "Look, I have to prepare for something and I need your help."

Ivory is taken aback. She is the one who trapped Sigyn and yet, Sigyn is the one who thinks she can order her around. That was not how this should be going, especially since Sigyn is still restrained.

"What makes you think that I'd help you?" Ivory asks, slightly scared now.

Sigyn cackles a little. "Sweetheart, you have no idea who you are dealing with."

Before Ivory could blink, she hears the cuffs around Sigyn's wrists fall to the floor. Sigyn brings her hands forwards, rubbing her wrists tenderly as the magic around her phasing hands dims down. She rolls back her shoulders and stretches out her arms as Ivory backs away. Sigyn steps closer to Ivory as she takes two steps back, now trembling.

"What help could you possibly need?" Ivory asks Sigyn.

"Give my _dear friends_ a warning about what will come," Sigyn says.

"For what?"

"Hold still and I will tell you..."

Sigyn's hands light up and she grabs Ivory's head. Ivory's knees buckle as she screams. Sigyn's magic tells Ivory all that she needs to say, showing her image after image of what happened and what will happen. It all goes by in Ivory's mind in a blur and she's unable to keep up, which is honestly how Sigyn's felt this whole time and exactly how she needs to message to be sent.

She lets go of Ivory and drops her to the floor. Ivory skitters as Sigyn wipes her hands on her dress and turns her back to her.

"Go now," Sigyn says.

Ivory runs out in a flash. Sigyn laughs to herself, feeling odd about this evil sensation in her veins. She never thought it would take this long for her parents' genes to be inherited. It felt different and good in the worst way possible. And the fact that she's currently on Midgard despite Apollo's ban ignites her blood and bones even more. He'll be so, _so_ angry with her now which she thrives on. Hel was a depressant - she should've come to Midgard way sooner.

 _"Promise, Sigyn. Promise me you will use your power for good and survive."_

Hela's words ring in her mind. Sigyn brushes them away, as if those words were vital, especially coming from her of all people - or goddesses, in that case. Hela was being a hypocrite at that moment which was not like her at all. No, she can't listen to this words. She just can't. Hela was no help when she needed her so why would she listen to her now?

Sigyn has to do this. She has to break another promise. Besides, this all started with the broken promise with Apollo so it might as well end the same way.

* * *

 **Okay, so, about the aforementioned break. I have many reasons for doing so: 1) The next arcs are actually so heavy and condensed that I'm actually reconstructing some of them 2) Your girl's going to university 3) I'm publishing _at least_ five new stories on here that I have already written 4) I'm going to start publishing on my Wattpad 5) I am so emotionally attached to this story since these are all my babies and I just don't want to get closer to the end of the story because it is closer than I thought it was 6) Exams in May and I should've started studying in December.**

 **I will come back to this story. I am not abandoning it.**

 **Please visit the poll on my page!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Sigyn's plan will unfold on all of her friends.**


	100. All Together Part One

**As of right now, I am back but that will not be a promise for frequent updates. I am going to be publishing loads of new stories.**

 **This arc has been changed so many times, like at least a thousand times. However, I am satisfied with how it is now.**

 **Also, coming back with the big hundredth chapter was totally planned and perfectly timed in terms of plot and date because HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THIS STORY!**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred: All Together Part One

 _Upper East Side, New York - 11:08 AM_

Angela stands in the farmer's market one morning, hovering over a basket of freshly picked lemons on display, figuring out which ones are the best to take. She looks forwards and hopes that James is picking the good vegetables, wishing that he knows how to do so or else she'll have to re-pick them. Before she takes her lemons and heads over to him, she hears her phone ringing in her purse. Angela reaches inside and sees that it's Xavier so she picks it up.

"How are you?" Angela asks as she holds the phone to her ear with her shoulder to allow her to bag up some lemons.

 _Xavier: Let's see, I'm not sleeping, eating, barely shaving, but other than that, I'm amazing._

Angela sighs. She feels bad for Xavier taking some time off of work because of all that happened in Hel between him and Sigyn along with the ambiguity of her status. He just wants to be with the woman he loves after not seeing her for seven years and he finally got that chance even under circumstances that weren't in his favor. Angela was grateful that she was here on a date with her boyfriend who, when she looks over at him, does not know how to pick out a good broccoli.

 _Xavier: I'm so bored here and I can't do anything without thinking of her. I should just go in and help Merida with whatever she's doing. At least that'll put my mind somewhere else._

"No. There's a difference between liking to work and using work as a way to avoid your problems. What I'm trying to say is that if something did happen to Sigyn, it was because of her own actions in response to whatever happened in Asgard. We've seen how Apollo is and we don't know anything that's happened to them for the past seven years. You, Xavier, can't protect everyone all the time. You need to worry about yourself at the moment."

She hears Xavier take a long exhale on the other side of the line.

 _Xavier: How do you always know what to say to me?_

Angela smirks. "I'm your twin. I'm the female version of you. And Merida is training rookies today so I'd advise staying home and as far away from SHIELD as possible."

 _Xavier: That is why you're my #1._

Angela laughs to herself. "No way. I'm at least #3 on your list. I'm just happy you love someone so much so don't let all this ruin it."

 _Xavier: I'll let you get back to James so he doesn't pick anything spoiled._

Angela smiles as she hangs up and puts her phone away. She picks out some good lemons and starts to head over to James who, for once, has picked out a decently good broccoli.

"So, babe, I've been thinking..." James starts.

Angela perks up a little as she leans into him. "About us?"

"Actually, I think I want to resign from SHIELD."

"Wait, what?"

-o-

 _SHIELD Training Facility - 11:10 AM_

Nobody right now wants to die more than Merida does. Getting stuck on rookie training was worse than cleaning up the bathrooms in their dormitories. These agents were snarky and rude and despite a clogged toilet also being overflowed with crap, at least it didn't have an unbearable attitude.

The only thing that's keeping Merida from killing each and every one of these rookies slowly and painfully is not her job or being locked up for multiple murders, but because of the fact that Iqadi is also here just to observe. (Merida would still actually attempt to murder everyone here but Iqadi would be the only one able to stop her from doing so).

"Agent Barton!" A rookie calls as he flails his arm in the air as if he's an elementary school student.

"What?" Merida questions, already irritated to her personal and already low limit.

"Are you so uptight because you haven't been laid recently?"

All of them laugh and Merida rolls her eyes in pure annoyance, even Iqadi does but it's just with a smile to keep her calm composure. In response to all their heckling, Merida pulls out the guns from her holster and forces them to run their laps. As they run, Merida fires them at the rookies to get them to go faster (they were only icers so they all just had to try their best to not get sedated mid-run).

"Why can't Dr. Banner train us?" A different rookie asks innocently.

They all collectively agree on that point.

"We had to read his doctoral research papers and he seems to know his shit."

Merida rolls her eyes again as she fires once more in that direction.

Iqadi walks up to her. "Have you read Daniel's work?"

"Please..." Merida mutters. She leans in close to Iqadi so the rookies won't hear her. "I fell asleep on the title page."

Merida looks up and sees the rookies jogging instead of running. Irritated with about everything at this point, Merida closes her eyes and uses her icers to shoot about three rookies at random. As they fall over temporarily unconscious, other rookies trip over starting a domino effect while the surviving ones sprint away at top speed. Iqadi is horrifed by what she just witnessed and Merida is laughing.

"You just shot them!" Iqadi exclaims.

"I know," Merida replies.

"And you laughed at it."

"I know."

"What if your superiors found out?"

Merida reloads her icers. "Then, I'll shoot them too."

-o-

 _Merida's Apartment - 12:02 PM_

 _"I am trying to do what is right!" Sigyn yells at him. "You would understand if you actually thought about this for once!"_

 _The winds pick up and Sigyn tries to control them with her magic. They end up making a cyclone of power around her feet and she is the center. Her eyes start glowing an illuminating shade of green, almost as if they make up who she is and the magic she possesses. Apollo feels himself needing to hold himself back from her, gripping his ax in case he desperately needs to use it._

 _"I have, Sigyn!" Apollo yells back. "We do have an escape!"_

 _"There is none!" Her hair starts to fly all around her, picking up her spell as it grows. "You do not run from the people who need you. You fight for them. You fight beside them no matter the cost or the risk. I assume that you are an expert on sacrifices if your definition of the word consists of saving yourself while the rest of the world gets eaten alive."_

Apollo shoots up awake. Everything around him is blurry while his heart races and cold sweat beads onto his face. He falls out of whatever he was lying on and grips his chest as he tenses up on the floor. He has no idea where he is. Where is he? Why was he on Midgard? What happened on Asgard? Why can't he understand whatever Sigyn seems to be doing in his dreams and flashbacks?

Apollo lies on the cold floor for a second before realizing that he's in Merida's apartment and he was sleeping on her couch.

He stands up and looks at the empty apartment. It takes him a second to cool down from that vivid dream he had and he puts no thought towards it. Ever since he heard of what happened with Xavier in Hel as well as who she is to him, he doesn't want to think about her.

Apollo puts a hand to his head and feels a sheet of paper secured there with a chewed piece of gum. That has Merida written all over it and so does the sheet of paper.

 _'Everyone is off except me because my superiors hate me. Iqadi might be joining but come to SHIELD if you wish since I have no food in my cupboards.'_

-o-

 _Location Unknown, Time Unknown_

She walks the dry earth and dust blows her way, staining the tight black corset of her short dress. Her fingers lace with delicate magic as she tries to put an uncontrollable event accessible to her fingertips. She takes a few more steps, scanning the ground below her and stops when she sees a crack just at the toes of her heeled boots.

Sigyn pauses for a second, feeling her chest get heavier and heavier the more she needs to breathe. Her fingers are shaking and wisps of her magic flicker. Sigyn takes a deep breath and she circles her hands above her head, lighting them up for the appearance of the Serpent Crown to sit right on her golden hair.

The ground immediately trembles and Sigyn loses her foot, quickly regaining balance as she holds the crown firmly on her head. She slowly gets on her knees, tracing the growing crack with her fingertips.

"Come on out, monster..." Sigyn whispers to the ground below her. "Come out, come out wherever you are..."

* * *

 **This is when the action begins.**

 **Also, just an FYI, I have published a new Clintasha novella called _Our Extraction Plan._ Go check it out if you like because it's completely published and has been for a while now.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Merida gets an urgent message from someone completely unexpected.**


	101. All Together Part Two

**_Recap_ \- Everyone seems to be going on with their normal lives while Apollo had a dream about Sigyn and Sigyn searches for a monster...**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred One: All Together Part Two

 _SHIELD Training Facility - 12:04 PM_

What was once a training session for the SHIELD rookies that was supposed to contain running laps and target practice ended up being a full-on sparring session of Merida and eventually Iqadi versus all the rookies. It all started like this:

("Agent Barton, your hair is not appropriate for battle."

Others egged that one comment and Merida, who was once unwillingly on simmer, just exploded to a full-on boil. They had a point that her giant red curls were not efficient but if she was still alive, then Merida considered it to be fine. She just didn't like that someone insulted her hair.

"Do you really want to know what else, other than my hair, I inherited from my mother, The Black Widow?" Merida asked.

Nobody had time to respond because Merida started throwing her punches, starting at the one who spoke and then everyone else joined in. At first, Iqadi just stood to the side and observed how powerful Merida is against a majority, but then someone stupidly said that anyone can easily take down Wakanda, and she joined in).

"Agent Barton!"

Merida suddenly pauses at the sound of her name being yelled. She throws one more punch before wiping her hands on her uniform. Merida looks to see an agent at the door and suddenly, everyone stops fighting. As Merida jogs over to her, she and everyone else comes to the verdict that she won that.

"You're wanted in interrogation," she tells Merida. "It's urgent."

Merida doesn't question why and just leaves in a sprint. Iqadi runs after her. Merida rejoices in the fact that she can leave and not have to continue training the rookies and to be honest, the rookies were glad she left too since she beat them all senseless.

Merida runs up to the interrogation sector and starts speed-walking when she enters the deep hallways surrounded by agents with higher clearance levels than her. Iqadi walks by her side and they stop when they see a group of armed uniformed men huddled in a circle. Merida knows that's why she was called up here and she's just curious to know why.

"SHIELD officers?" Merida questions to get the attention.

"More like agents but close enough," one of them responds.

"My bad..." Merida tries to peek at what's in the center of their circle. "What do you have here? Please don't say my parents."

The circle opens and it's something Merida never expected: all the weapons from the SHIELD agents point at Ivory Gates. Ivory has been missing ever since she escaped from prison so long ago. Back then, she was this elusive and cunning spy who wore a bold front and was on the run from them. Now, all Merida sees is a frightened and weak woman who's shaking like a freezing chihuahua. She certainly had Ivory's face but it definitely wasn't her and Merida didn't believe it.

Merida laughs at the ridiculousness of this and when she sees nobody else laughing, she stops.

"Help, Agent Barton, help me," Ivory begs before crashing to her knees.

The guns point downwards at Ivory until Merida steps forwards and makes them stand down. She grabs Ivory by the tricep and pulls her up, dragging her away as she dismisses the other agents.

"Merida, she is asking for help," Iqadi tells her. Merida gives Iqadi a break on that one since this is her first time seeing Ivory.

"She literally tried to kill us the first time we met!" Merida exclaims. "She is not trustworthy!"

Merida shoves Ivory into a vacant interrogation room and lets her fall to the floor. Merida instantly pulls out her gun and points it at Ivory, forcing her to sit down in the chair. Ivory scurries into it and Merida searches her for any weapons or threats; nothing comes up. Merida stands back, keeping the gun in her hand as Iqadi remains on the side, keeping her hands folded in front of her.

"Now tell me this, Miss. Ivory Gates," Merida says to her, "why the actual fuck would I help you?"

Iqadi straightens up. "Merida..."

"Don't baby me now. Cursing out loud makes me feel better."

"Listen to me," Ivory states. "She showed up on my doorstep. I tried to stop her but failed, and now she's coming after you."

"Who?" Iqadi asks.

Ivory's face suddenly looks utterly horrified. "Sigyn!"

Merida groans in disbelief. "Dear god, that girl is visiting everyone now, isn't she?"

"You have to believe me!"

Merida pops her lips as she walks towards Iqadi, turning towards Iqadi but still keeping an eye on Ivory from over her shoulder. Iqadi still has full vision on Ivory though.

"What if this is a trap?" Merida whispers to Iqadi, turning her back away from Ivory while still keeping an eye on her. "Ivory tried to use Sigyn as a way to get Xavier to crack and to be honest, it almost worked. Also, she has been on SHIELD's radar for months ever since she escaped. And not to mention that her bringing up Sigyn after Xavier's mental trip to Hel seems a little fishy."

"In reality," Iqadi starts, "people are too busy worrying about themselves to devise some master plan to destroy you. Besides, you did not cuff her to the chair and if she wanted to kill us, she would've jumped the table to steal your weapon and shoot one of us while the other takes her down. She seems preoccupied with Sigyn to be concerned about your status. Also, the timing about Sigyn seems too coincidental to just be another trap."

Merida wishes that someone else besides Iqadi was here since she wasn't there when they first encountered Ivory so someone who was familiar would have an idea of what to do. She needed help with this even though Iqadi gave her some good points.

"You are in danger..." Ivory starts spilling, rocking back and forth in her seat. "She says that she can end all of you and she said to warn you about the end. She is free and reckless and full of power."

"Maybe we should listen to her," Iqadi says.

"There are so many things wrong with all of this," Merida responds. "If Sigyn really wanted to end us, why would she send a warning? And through her of all people. She could've just warned Xavier in Hel or flat-out ended him there. Ivory's just rambling nonsense and actually _surrendered_ to us. She's nuts. I'd rather go back with the rookies and have them kill me because I'm tired of listening to whatever crap she's giving."

"Merida - "

"You stay here," Merida tell Iqadi as she pulls out her phone. "I'm going to call for a third opinion because I want to put a bullet in her head while you want to hold her hand."

Iqadi gives Merida a look of disappointment on purpose just to mimic a parent and Merida rolls her eyes in response. Merida dismisses herself as she dials a number and holds the phone to her ear. Iqadi goes over to close the interrogation room's door and when she turns back to Ivory, she sees her constantly bowing until Iqadi holds up a hand to stop her.

"I apologize, Princess," Ivory says frantically.

Iqadi stares at her silently, waiting for Ivory to continue talking so she'll know what she means. She starts to stand in more of a fighting stance just in case Merida was right this whole time and this was a trap.

"I stole your contingency plans," Ivory confesses.

Iqadi immediately tenses up now that she knew she was facing the thief who broke into Wakanda and stole her deepest secrets. She isn't sure how to react at first, whether or not to leave her palms out or ball them into fists. Iqadi just keeps her gaze on her but this time, it's sharper.

"I was hired to do so and paid millions - !"

"There are times in life when those kinds of excuses do not cut it anymore," Iqadi interrupts. "That was a situation where I no longer care whether you were suited for the crime at hand or not."

Ivory takes a shaky breath. Iqadi's face loses all the sympathy it had before as she crosses her arms over her chest. Ivory sinks back into her interrogation chair, looking at Iqadi with full fear.

"Stop staring at me as if I will murder you," Iqadi tells her.

"I wasn't - "

Iqadi slams her hands on the table causing Ivory to jump a little. "Because if you meet my eyes again, I will murder you."

-o-

Moments later, Apollo shuffles into SHIELD. After asking a couple of agents where Merida was and he got escorted down to the interrogation room and then when he was told which room she was in, he said he would handle it on his own from there forwards. Apollo walks down the hallway with that Sigyn dream still ringing fresh in his mind. It didn't feel like a dream at all - it felt haunting and surreal. In fact, his mind was so warped by it, that he almost collides with Merida.

"Hey," Merida says, stopping Apollo. "Something on your mind?"

Apollo nods his head. "Some weird dream with - "

"Sigyn?"

Apollo freezes a little. "How did you - ?"

Merida takes a breath. "Just follow me."

Merida takes Apollo to an interrogation room and swipes her SHIELD ID card but before she opens the door, she quickly informs Apollo on who's in there and who she was to them. When Apollo understands enough, Merida opens the door. She steps in first and nods at Iqadi who seems more angered to be with Ivory. Merida makes more room for Apollo to walk in. Apollo closes the door behind him and when his eyes lock with Ivory's, she stands up and screams. Merida's hand grips her gun and Iqadi prepares to pounce on her.

"She's coming for you!" Ivory screams in a panic, pointing right at Apollo.

Apollo holds his arms out in front of Merida and Iqadi. The two girls look at him hesitantly, but they back down still ready to attack if necessary.

"Sigyn, right?" Apollo questions. "You speak of Sigyn?"

Ivory nods.

"So that means she is alive?"

Ivory nods again, this time more scared.

Apollo laughs a little out of disbelief. To think that he thought he murdered her already. Merida and Iqadi sigh out of relief. Then, Apollo focuses back on Ivory.

"Why is she coming?" Apollo asks.

"The prophecy is true!" Ivory yells at him. "The final battle will change everything. Gods and a monster will fight and the whole world will begin anew. The words of all those around you have brought you terror and confusion. I cannot agree with them, nor can I speak against them. I do not know what to say. You waver in hope and fear - "

" - unable to see forward or back," Apollo finishes.

"How did you know that?" Iqadi asks him.

"Sigyn told me that in a hallucination. I do not know what it means but we have to stop her either way. She is a threat to us all."

"Hold on," Merida says, "let's talk this through."

"Ivory, what else did Sigyn tell you?" Iqadi asks her. "Did she have a plan in mind?"

Ivory shrugs. "Her words are magical and she is using that to her advantage."

Iqadi turns towards Apollo. "What monster is Sigyn speaking of?"

Apollo shrugs, but then he looks up in realization and horror. "Where is Daniel?"

Merida takes a deep breath. "Okay, here's the plan: you and Iqadi, suit up and get a quinjet ready for takeoff. I'm going to call for Ivory to get placed in a holding cell until she can be dealt with, call Xavier again since he's already on his way here to go make sure that Daniel's fine, and then inform Angela and James on the way. Got it?"

Apollo and Iqadi nod as they run out.

* * *

 **If anyone is interested, I have a new _Wonder Woman_ one-shot titled, _No Man's The Godkiller_ ready to read.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- As Sigyn continues her plan, the team gets together to try and figure out what Sigyn's true motive is.**


	102. All Together Part Three

**I just came back from _Ant-Man and The Wasp_ and I really need a hug.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After Ivory Gates reveals Sigyn's intentions about waking a monster, the team plans to go find Daniel.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Two: All Together Part Three

 _Location Unknown, Time Unknown_

Sigyn stands her ground in front of the cracked earth. She feels the monster coursing underneath the surface like the blood and magic in her veins. Her fingertips glow with magic as she holds them out, trying to put the reins on it. The eyes of the Serpent Crown on her head glow as the seismic quakes of the ground erupt around her. Sigyn chokes on her own breath as her feet lift off the ground. She falls forwards and the Serpent Crown falls from her head and rolls on the ground away from her.

"No!" Sigyn exclaims.

She scurries across the quaking ground for it. She pounces forwards and lands on her stomach, grabbing the Serpent Crown tightly. Sigyn sighs out of relief as her arm extends itself over the cracks of the earth.

"At ease, monster..." Sigyn whispers while panting.

The ground below her calms down and Sigyn rises again. She dusts off her dress as she takes a fresh breath and puts the crown back on her head. Sigyn looks at the world below her and focuses on her magic.

"You are not in control anymore..."

-o-

 _Upper East Side, New York - 13:25 PM_

"James!" Angela exclaims as she chases him down the street, both of them holding bags of groceries. "You can't just drop a bomb like that and then walk away, avoiding the topic."

"Relax, babe!" James yells back at her. "It wasn't radioactive."

Angela stops walking as she hears James continue to walk ahead, laughing to himself. She crosses her arms as she watches her boyfriend not take his own words or her reaction seriously. What bothers her most is that he was acting as if he told her the sky was blue. Angela looks down into her grocery bag and pulls out a lemon. She cups and grips the fruit in her hand before chucking it at James. It hits him directly in the back of his head and he curses as he stumbles forwards. Angela runs up to him and takes his arm.

"What the hell, babe?!" James asks, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why?" Angela asks. "Why do you want to resign?"

James opens his mouth to answer but what stops him from answering is the trembling ground. Angela and James teeter back and forth, holding themselves up and their groceries. It felt like an earthquake beneath their feet but it didn't feel like it was coming naturally, it felt forced as if someone was making it happen. Once it settles, Angela and James wait for a second one that doesn't come. They look at each other wary about how artificial that felt (taught to them by SHIELD Academy). They gather themselves and act again when they realize that there will be no second earthquake.

"What was that?" James questions a tad sarcastically. "Couldn't hear you over the seismic activity."

Angela glares at him, breathing furiously. James grins as he gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. She opens her mouth to say something but gets cut off by her phone ringing. She goes to answer it and puts it on speaker for her and James when she sees that it's Xavier and Merida from two different lines.

 _Xavier: Did you feel that?_

"Yeah," Angela replies. "What was it?"

 _Merida: I'm not exactly sure but Ivory Gates stopped by at SHIELD. She said that Sigyn came to her and is now coming for us._

"High school me would've been so flattered by that," James says. "Now, I'm just scared. She's possibly the one making the earthquakes for whatever reason."

"What else did Ivory say?" Angela asks.

 _Merida:_ _We have a quinjet coming your way. Apollo and Iqadi are here with me._

 _Xavier: I'm heading straight for Emily and Daniel. Could you reach them because I can't get through._

 _Merida: My calls are not going through either. I'm not even getting their voicemails or the dial tone._

"Why would Sigyn harm them out of all of us?" James asks. "Apollo was the one who banned her from Midgard and now she's just coming back to wreak havoc."

 _Apollo: I am not at fault here!_

 _Merida: Shut up for a minute, I'm on the phone! Ivory said that Sigyn is waking up a monster._

Angela looks up at James. "The earthquakes...maybe we're too late."

 _Merida: Excuse you, have you met our titular team? Of course, we're late so get your asses on the quinjet so we can go to Xavier._

Angela and James look up to see the quinjet just above them. The dock opens and a rope ladder is thrown down. James shrinks down and flies up while Angela climbs. Once they're on board, the quinjet starts flying the other way and the two of them are greeted by Iqadi and Apollo. Angela ditches their groceries on the quinjet as she and James start suiting up and getting a full recap on what happened at SHIELD with Ivory and her connection with Sigyn.

"The prophecy is true," Apollo tells them. "The final battle will change everything. Gods and a monster will battle and so on and so forth."

"The prophecy..." James trails off. He is scared to mention the only prophecy he and the others know.

Apollo nods. Everyone else remains silent as the quinjet continues to fly.

Angela turns to look at James. "So, babe, is this your last mission with us?"

Apollo, Merida, and Iqadi all look at James confused as he awkwardly stands in the one spotlight he didn't want to be in. Angela looks at him, finally expecting an answer to what she's been waiting for.

"Are you going to die?" Iqadi asks.

"No!" James exclaims. "No, not at all. I'm just thinking of changing careers or something."

"Hell no!" Merida yells. "I can't be the only one training rookies."

Apollo throws his arm around James and whisks him away from the situation. "I will talk to him."

They both walk away from the girls. James is eternally grateful for Apollo doing that but he doesn't want to have this conversation with him either. He could possibly tell them and the girls would then go after him.

"What are you going to say?" James whispers.

"Nothing," Apollo whispers back, quickly looking over his shoulders to catch a glance at the girls. "Just look at me as if I am saying something smart and inspirational."

-o-

 _Xavier's Apartment - 13:27 PM_

After Merida called Xavier to get his ass on the road to Emily and Daniel because of Sigyn, he suited up and even shaved before getting in the car. On the road, following the call with Angela and James, he gets another call coming from his dad. Xavier smiles to himself for a bit before picking up.

"I'm on a mission," Xavier says to him.

 _Steve: Finally! You left your apartment!_

Xavier takes a breath and narrows his eyes to himself at that comment. It was definitely Angela who told their parents that he was giving himself house arrest after his events in Hel with Sigyn.

 _Steve: What's the mission?_

"Word got in that Sigyn is coming after us," Xavier replies. "Apollo says that it's a threat but she's already making her move somewhere and we have to stop her."

 _Steve: So, you're going to stop her even though she might harm you?_

Xavier realizes how stupid that plan sounds. "That's kind of how our group works."

 _Steve: Are you sure that you should be on the field for this after what you just went through in Hel?_

"Hey, I can handle Sigyn. She was my girlfriend once upon a time." Xavier takes a breath as he taps his fingers on the steering wheel. "All that Hel taught me was that Sigyn is possibly dead and that I should've loved her like I was going to lose her."

 _Steve: You talk like an old man more than I do._

Xavier rolls his eyes as he hears his father laughing on the other line.

 _Steve: Your heart and shield are both the bullseye. Sometimes, you hold the former over the latter when it should be the other way around._

"So I've been told."

 _Steve: Son, you're missing the big picture._

"What?"

 _Steve: Sigyn is coming after you and you're doing the same for her, think about that._

His dad ends the call and Xavier sits back. He was too busy loving Sigyn simply because she was out there somewhere. He believed that she was coming back and now she is. Xavier suddenly sits up, feeling lighter as he finally realizes the big factor that was being thrown in his face this whole time: despite Ivory coming off as insane, she said that Sigyn was coming for them which most important means that _Sigyn is alive._

Feeling hopeful, Xavier slams on the gas the moment the light turns green.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What have Emily and Daniel been up to this whole time?**


	103. All Together Part Four

**No, I did not forget this story. I just didn't feel like updating it.**

 ** _Recap_ \- The team is on their way to face Sigyn, that is, except for Emily and Daniel who they believe are already in trouble.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Three: All Together Part Four

 _Stark Towers - Earlier_

Emily sits crossed-legged on the couch with a pillow on her legs and her laptop on top of that. Her hair is in a messy bun with strands falling out and cupping her face. A stylus is in her mouth, being held by her teeth as she types away at her laptop, filling out spreadsheets and muttering calculations to herself. She's so focused on her work that she doesn't even notice Daniel approaching her. She finally acknowledges him when she takes a breath, which is at least three minutes later.

Emily smiles at him as she closes her laptop.

"You've been working hard," Daniel comments. "Do you want to get some fresh air with me?"

Emily circles her lips. "If you accompany me on a shopping trip."

Daniel scoffs. "I'm not going shopping with you."

Emily reopens her laptop. "Then, I'm not getting fresh air with you."

As Emily types away on her laptop, Daniel shakes his head with a small laugh. Emily takes a quick glance at him with a smile on her face before returning her eyes to the screen.

"...fine."

Emily closes her laptop again with a victorious smile stretching across her face.

-o-

 _Manhattan, New York - Earlier_

Emily and Daniel didn't end up going on an expected shopping spree. Instead, they have been browsing around for their wedding. Nothing for the big day has been planned to the T and Emily has been searching the internet and wedding magazines for inspiration but nothing has caught her eye as much. All of that combined with recent events involving Apollo and Sigyn have really put their wedding on the back burner but Emily and Daniel weren't complaining though, they've been engaged since high school and a seven-year engagement meant that another day unwed wasn't that big a deal for them.

They ended up in a high-end bakery encircled in a series of cakes and other pastries. The head baker was more than overjoyed to see a young couple with an engagement ring walk in, rushing to their side right away.

"Budget?" The baker questions.

"No budget," Emily responds quickly before turning towards Daniel. "How big of a cake do you think we would need?"

"Not sure," Daniel responds. "We're not having a giant ceremony and then you do that tradition where you save the top layer. Are we going to do that?"

"I guess, but aside from that, I'm talking about the physical quantity of the cake. I probably wouldn't eat much since I'd be squeezed into my wedding dress but I think that Apollo would eat an entire bottom layer. And then Angela's a vegan...I almost forgot that."

"So we're definitely talking multiple layers, is there a cost difference in that?"

The baker chimes back in. "The price varies on the circumference of the layer and how many you get overall. Let me go get a calculator - "

Daniel smirks. "Not necessary. We are calculators."

Emily laughs a little as she holds his hand. Daniel glances at her before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

-o-

 _Manhattan, New York - Earlier_

After what seemed to be an ongoing conversation about icings and edible flowers, Daniel ends up walking out of there in a rush with his head hanging low and his hands shoved in his pockets. Emily trails afterwards, spitting apologies to the bakery as she puts on her sunglasses to avoid the press and runs after Daniel in her heels.

"What the hell was that?!" Emily yells at him.

"I'm just saying...red velvet is too overrated and too sweet," Daniel replies, doing a small spin on his heel to face her before returning to his back.

"You're being subjective."

"That's not my opinion, it's a fact."

Emily scoffs to herself. "A fact you made up just now."

Daniel shrugs as he continues to walk off. Emily rolls her eyes as she picks up her pace to make sure not to lose him on the busy streets of New York. Although if Emily were to be honest, she knows that Daniel won't run _that_ far away from her.

"Screw you, your stupid mouth and your over-analytical brain!" Emily yells at him. Nobody else around them sees to notice or really care about the excessive noise. "Two can play at that game."

Daniel doesn't turn back to face her. "Well, play by yourself because I don't have time for that crap. Just walk with me."

"I can't because then I'll just see your dumb face and forget how mad I am at you." She pauses for a moment. "What is it? Is it the wedding?"

"Maybe."

That conditional word felt like it stabbed Emily right in the heart. She stops walking and Daniel takes a few steps forwards before he turns back to face her. His hands remain in his pockets as he keeps his gaze on his fiancée when her expression looks as if its entire world was just shattered. Everyone else around them is non-existent anymore and it's just the two of them. Emily even removes her sunglasses to make sure that Daniel is really looking at her and the tears she's trying to keep in her eyes.

"What do you mean _maybe_? Are you getting cold feet or something?"

Daniel immediately walks back up to her and puts his hands reassuringly on her arms. "No, of course not. Emily, it's just that what happened to Xavier in Hel is sort of throwing me off. We wanted to get married with everyone there and maybe we can't get that. Shit...we barely have anything planned or a date."

Emily nods, understanding. "I get that. It all sort of screwed me up too and I'm using our unprepared wedding and my job to distract me."

Daniel smiles as he hugs Emily. She smirks as she returns the gesture and Daniel kisses her cheek. They return to walking on the sidewalk, holding each other's hands. It felt good for the both of them to get that out in the open, to know that they both feel the same way.

"Wanna know something?" Emily teases in a whisper. "I purposely did not fall in love with some other brute of a man."

Daniel looks at her perplexed. "Sometimes, I turn into a hulking specimen."

"That's different. I would never marry someone I wasn't attracted to physically and intellectually. Geeky is the new hot."

Daniel grins as he kisses her cheek again. "Leave it up to you to always be ahead."

"Speaking of being ahead, there was a woman back there who was ahead of us and walking at a faster pace than us, but now we're ahead of her even though we stopped back there for a few moments to talk."

Daniel turns around and sees the woman Emily was referring to. She didn't just stop walking, she stopped while answering her phone. That's when they realize that everyone else is oddly frozen mid-task around them. Cars have stopped moving and birds are frozen mid-air. There's not even the slightest breeze in the air. Emily and Daniel glance at each other, glad the other isn't frozen.

"It'd be smart to pose an attack here," Emily feels the need to whisper. "Everyone knows this is where I shop."

Neither of them moves until an earthquake forces them to stumble. They stand in a ready stance and just before their eyes, a dark portal opens and a flood of armored skeletons with weapons like swords and spears spill out. Emily and Daniel's breaths stop and sharpen in shock as their eyes open wide, wondering what they could possibly be seeing. Too many questions run through their minds: what are those? Where did they come from? Why is everything else around them frozen?

Their answer to that was to run so they did and only to be chased.

"Maybe if we hide well enough, we won't have to fight them," Emily says.

Daniel scoffs. "Good plan, babe."

She isn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not and frankly, neither did he.

"My cell phone is cutting out," Emily pants. "I can't call for a suit."

Daniel sighs. "I really liked this shirt..."

To take on this oncoming army, Daniel forces himself to turn into his Hulk, which rips through his clothing with a roar. He launches himself in the middle of the flood, crushing a handful of them before stomping and swiping away more. For a bit, they're no match for him until their numbers keep on growing.

Emily slides down behind a newspaper stand. She holds her phone to her ear and has a blip of service that she knows will go out in seconds so that leaves her with the option of calling for backup or for a suit. Taking a quick peek at the Hulk and seeing that he's still on his feet, she goes to call for a suit but the line is dead.

Emily grunts as she stands up to the sound of the Hulk's roar. A skeleton with a sword heads her way with its weapon held high. When the sword thrusts forwards, Emily ducks. She yanks off her heel and stabs it right through the rib cage and spinal cord. The bones topple right at her feet. Emily picks up the sword and realizes that she has no idea how to use it. She puts her heel back on and just holds it out like the skeleton did for defense.

Emily makes eye contact with the Hulk, panting heavily. It gives her a reassuring look before roaring. Emily quickly turns around and gets toppled over. The sword falls out of her hand, nearly stabbing her as it hits the sidewalk. She quickly picks it up and slices the skeleton's arm right off. Overhead, she can sense the Hulk's growing shadow coming for her but when she looks up, she sees Daniel disappear in a mist of green. Emily's heart rate accelerates as she kicks over the skeleton that was over her. She turns onto her stomach and sees that all the other skeletons are still there.

And yet, she's still here.

-o-

 _Manhattan, New York - Present_

"What the fuck?!" Emily exclaims as people start walking all over her.

Emily takes a second to gather herself as she quickly fixes her hair and picks up her bag. She stands up and looks around while struggling to catch her breath and call for Daniel at the same time. There's nothing. Emily notices that the rest of New York acts as if the whole skeleton appearance never happened which truly means that she and Daniel were frozen in time for that one moment.

Emily snaps back into reality when she hears her phone ringing. She looks at it and sees several missed calls from her friends and that James is currently trying to call her. She picks up.

 _James: Please tell me the bride-and-groom-to-be are alive._

"Bride, yes," Emily responds, "groom is MIA."

 _James: Where are you?_

Emily turns around to look at the nearest street sign and spots Xavier pulling up on the side of the road. She runs over to his car and opens the door.

"With Xavier," Emily responds before hanging up and sitting next to Xavier.

Emily barely buckles her seatbelt before Xavier accelerated causing her to fall forward a bit. Emily curses to herself as she sits up, fixes her hair in the rearview mirror, and buckles her seatbelt properly. She glares at Xavier who doesn't notice what he did.

"You could've given me a second," Emily tells him. She notices how focused he is. "Are you alright?"

"I have some pent-up aggression," Xavier replies.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I just want to hit something."

"You and me both."

Emily goes on her phone and tries to track down the Hulk but nothing comes up. She sighs as she sits back in her seat, hoping an alert will appear soon. Then, she turns to Xavier and watches as he rips through the roads.

"What the hell is going on?!" Emily screams.

"You want the good news or the bad news?" Xavier asks.

"Does it matter?"

"No, because they're the same thing. Sigyn's back and based on this, she probably took Daniel."

"Why would she take Daniel?"

"No clue."

Emily nods. "How do you feel about all this since Sigyn is involved and you just went though Hel?"

Xavier huffs a breath. "I'm not worried about Sigyn. She seems to be determined to kill us, do you get that? When I first saw her in Hel, she was different; so very different. A bit of her was paranoid which made me wary because I fell for her paranoia but it was at that point where it was concerning. She was a whole new person and not because she's going by her birth name now. I tried not to pursue her or make any moves but it was so hard not to. I tried not to tell her anything but it was just so hard to keep quiet. This isn't my fault because she isn't my responsibility. My responsibility right now is to keep my ass and all of your asses alive for as long as possible."

For once, Emily is left without an immediate response. Sure, Xavier said that Sigyn changed into a new person and maybe Xavier has as well but Emily knows that he's the same as he was in high school: head-over-heels in love with Britney Braun and like the football captain who watches over his team. All that really changed was their ages, names, and outfits.

Emily snickers a little. "I bet you confessed your love and she shut you down."

Xavier sighs as he thinks back to what happened in Hel, how he was professing his feelings and Sigyn was just telling him to shut up. What really struck him was when she was sending him back to Midgard and she said: _"I am sorry, my darling. I love you and the world needs you more than me."_ That was what kept him going to this day.

"Something like that," Xavier responds.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- As the team attempt to regroup, will they be able to locate Daniel or will other interruptions get in their way?**


	104. All Together Part Five

**_Recap_ \- Emily and Daniel's day got interrupted by time freezing and an attack from armored skeletons, resulting in Daniel disappearing**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Four: All Together Part Five

 _Manhattan, New York - 14:19 PM_

As Xavier enters the freeway, he glances at Emily who decides that after she just survived an attack from the unknown and that her fiancé just vanished, she puts on her sunglasses. Only Emily Stark could make a crisis couture for herself. A part of Xavier wishes she would put that technique on him so he would have some sort of safety blanket.

"What's with the shades?" Xavier asks.

"I look intimidating," Emily replies. "I might not be able to fling shields like frisbees but I still need to look scary."

Xavier rolls his eyes. "Your jokes suck and if you think your sunglasses are scary, then that's sad."

"You just don't get them."

Xavier groans in annoyance because he didn't want to deal with this right now and he got the joke. As he picks up speed and changes lanes, Emily pulls out her phone and opens a map of the city that she turns into a hologram for both of them to see. A moving blue dot represents them and she sends a suit to their location to follow them just in case the worst were to happen which, knowing their luck, it will. She then zooms out to show the whole planet. She spins the Earth, tracing it for any active form of gamma which doesn't show up.

"I'm going to need a whole lot of epinephrine for this crap." She glances at Xavier. "What's the plan?"

"Hope we don't die," Xavier responds.

"Hope is not a strategy."

"It kind of is because all I got for a plan is that we reassemble and then I'll think of something clever."

Emily puts her phone down on the dashboard and puts a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't get too riled up. It's bad for your heart. You'll feel better letting it all out."

"Thanks for the counseling, Not-A-Doctor Stark, but I feel great keeping it all in the back of my mind."

"Fine. I'll do the talking as per usual and you could listen if you want, Not-A-Patient Rogers. Sigyn is apparently coming after us and she is scarily magical but despite that, we have the power to save lives and not all dangers are ones we can see right away. As friends, the truth can sometimes be less important than protection, especially since you're protecting yourself. If you want to lead us successfully, use your love for her to do so."

Xavier avoids Emily's eyes. "What happened before Daniel disappeared?"

Emily lightly shrugs, knowing that Xavier is just avoiding the topic of Sigyn. "We were sampling wedding cakes, got into a mild fight, and then time froze. It literally _froze_ except for myself and Daniel. And then, these medieval Day of the Dead skeletons came and fought us. When they vanished, so did Daniel and everything started moving again."

Xavier suddenly stares at her completely stunned with the word skeletons echoing in his head. This is shocking news that gives him the feeling that everything around him is suddenly blurred. He sees Emily talking which turns into screaming and panicking as she tries to grab the wheel. Then, there's a muffled sound of something blowing up and he's flying through the air, still in the car. The world's still spinning on its axis but he can't feel it anymore. It's like everything just...stops.

-o-

"I'm picking up another dramatic increase in seismic activity," Merida says.

Everyone else on-board prepares their weapons as Merida lands. She opens the landing dock as she sends their new coordinates to Xavier and Emily. Merida jumps out of her seat, grabbing her bow as she runs out. She stands in the middle of Angela and Iqadi with James and Apollo on the outside.

The sudden earthquake just calmed down all around them and they stand on quiet ground. Their senses feel heightened as they look around them with their weapons ready to fire.

"Nothing else is moving," Iqadi tells them.

Just above their heads, a portal forms in the sky and starts raining out the same armored skeletons that came to Daniel and Emily. They all disperse as the skeletons land on the ground, looking for something moving to battle.

"What the hell?!" James exclaims as he starts firing his bio-electricity blasts at them.

"Are these alive or not?!" Angela questions as she starts kicking them. The fact that they're skeletons throw her off.

Apollo watches as his friends start battling like warriors with all their strength. He looks at the endless outpour of them and the grip he had on his ax loosens for a second. He stands there frozen, just like everything else in his surroundings. The skeletons all blur into one and his friends are the ones that stand out in the ongoing fight. He isn't having a flashback but it strongly feels like he is.

"Why does this all look familiar?" Apollo softly asks himself.

-o-

 _Manhattan, New York - Just Moments Ago_

Emily begins waving her hands in front of Xavier's face and snapping her fingers as she starts yelling his name. It's like he's gone catatonic, similar to how it all was before the skeletons showed up. Emily takes hold of the wheel and looks ahead only to see a herd of skeletons at the end of their path. They throw their weapons, denting the car and breaking the windows. Emily is thankful that she's wearing her sunglasses since they shield her eyes from the glass shards. One of the skeletons throws its spear towards them. Emily shrieks as it jams into the wheel, causing the car to turn and careen right off the elegates freeway. Emily tries to turn it back but it's already crashed through the barrier and they're suddenly falling.

Emily screams as the car turns onto its side mid-air and her arms pin-wheel at her sides. She unbuckles her seatbelt and falls on top of Xavier who is still out of it. Emily unlocks the door and it breaks off with the spear that was in the steering wheel, sending them out with it so they will separate from the car and not be squished by it. She holds the back of her neck so that it won't slam against the ground when they hit it.

The only thing on Emily's mind is a list of the bones in the human body which is also known as every bone she's is going to break.

Then, Emily feels something grab her arms from behind. At first thought, she thinks it's a skeleton but when she turns around, she sees that it's the suit she called. Before she could react, it takes her into the suit as if it was eating her whole. The moment her suit turns on, she sees Xavier hit the ground but lucky for him, he had the car door to save him from slamming right on the pavement in a loud bang. However, that doesn't even wake him up. It knocks him right out.

There are always three possible outcomes in life: ideal, workable, and horrible. She saved both of their lives just now and she would certainly call herself a hero, which is ideal. She has a suit which is workable. Emily turns to look at Xavier who is unconscious and bleeding on his forehead which is horrible.

"Vitals, now!" Emily orders harshly.

-o-

 _Location Unknown, Time Unknown_

The Hulk reappears with a handful of skeletons but the moment it lands on the ground, they all dissolve into green dust in his hands and fly away in the wind. The Hulk takes a breath and looks ahead to see that he's no longer in the city but in a canyon-like environment. The breeze brushes past his face as it shrinks back to Daniel. Daniel shakes his head from a sudden dizziness and regains his balance. He starts shivering due to the intense breeze and tries to see where he is even though he can't see since he has no clue where his glasses are.

"Oh, god..." Daniel mutters crouching over. "I hope this works."

He looks up again and his eyes are green instead of brown. He gave himself his Hulk's eyes as a way to properly see and he gets a good look of where he is, turning all around to try and get a good look at everything which, coincidentally, is nothing.

He groans. "Great. I'm never going to catch a cab here."

Then, Daniel suddenly remembers being in New York. He was sampling wedding cakes and then all the skeletons came. Daniel staggers back, leaning on a rock as he tries to hold back the rest of his Hulk from coming out as he panics about Emily.

"Emily!" He yells so loud it's almost like his Hulk's roar.

There's nothing and Daniel's breathing quickens as he presses his hands to his forehead, holding his Hulk inside of him as he body shakes. He just needs to know that she's okay and that he didn't mean to just disappear on her. That was the truest form of kindness, the most basic sort of love: to be worried about the one who was worrying about you.

Daniel perks up when he hears a voice. He looks up and with his eyes back to brown, he just sees blurriness. No figures make their way into his line of sight and maybe it was a desert mirage playing with his mind but the voice comes again and he doesn't pick up what it says. His gut wants to believe that it's Emily but the more audible it becomes, his gut sinks further deep inside of him in fear as he scurried to hide behind the rock at whoever is out there.

"Come out, monster!" He hears being yelled as loud as possible. "I am making it your time! Come and eat the realm which you crave!"

He's scared, mentally debating with himself on whether or not he should unleash his Hulk. Right now, it's a fight or flight mentality where he's wondering who he's going to fight or where he would fly to. Both options seem like dead ends to him.

* * *

 **In case any of you care or are interested, I have a _Doctor Who_ one-shot titled _Rory's Seat_ now published.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Will Daniel find his way back to the others or will he run into someone else first?**


	105. All Together Part Six

**_Recap_ \- Emily and Xavier ran into a little car trouble; Merida, James, Apollo, and Iqadi face the skeletons which Apollo recognizes; and Daniel finds himself in the middle of nowhere with a voice calling for a monster...**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Five: All Together Part Six

 _Manhattan, New York - Time Frozen_

The skeletons continue to spill out of the portal they came from, coming in fleets as opposed to a continuous downpour. Immediately, Iqadi raises her arms and curls her fingers, calling for the lightning that she shoots right over there. Many of the skeletons come out as bones and their fragments with discarded weapons. The ones that survived are met with Angela, Merida, and James.

Iqadi lowers her arms and her eyes turn back to brown. She turns her head and sees Apollo standing there in pure fear as if he stopped alongside time. Iqadi runs over to him, leaping past him to kick down a skeleton that was about to decapitate him. That's what brings Apollo back to reality as his eyes fall on Iqadi.

"Iqadi, why do I recognize these?" Apollo asks on the verge of panicking. "What does this all mean? What is happening?"

"I do not know but Apollo, we cannot think about that right now," Iqadi replies honestly. "Listen to me: take a breath and relax. All that anxiety and frustration that comes with your amnesia? Put that into your fighting and regain those memories. You have got to fight like you love it. If you get hurt, which I honestly doubt because you're you, use that pain as armor for the next battle."

Apollo nods his head. Iqadi gives him a reassuring smile as she grips his hand that holds his ax. She then turns back to battle and Apollo swings his ax with the same goal.

Meanwhile, Angela holds a skeleton in a chokehold with her elbow, grunting as it resists against her. She could've just popped off its joints or something like that, but the armor got in her way and she didn't feel the need to waste her energy on penetrating it.

"Just pass out and I'll let you go," Angela tells it as some sort of persuasion.

She looks ahead and sees one with a mace coming her way. Angela picks up ground and swings around the skeleton as if it were a fire pole, kicking the approaching one over. It's mace skitters to be ground along with its bones. Angela scurries to pick up the weapon and holds it towards the one she had in her grip just seconds ago.

"This is going to hurt and I'm not lying," Angela tells it. "I've been told that my hits are like kisses."

Angela doesn't wait for a response she knows she'll never get. She whacks the skeleton into pieces with the mace like a baseball bat to a home run. Angela takes a sharp breath as she slings the mace over her shoulder.

"Seriously?" Merida questions.

Angela smiles at her from the corner of her mouth. "I strive for the sweet spot of simplicity and badassery."

Meanwhile, Iqadi pounces down from on top of a parked car, clawing right through a skeleton, slicing it symmetrically. Her eyes flicker up and she sees a handful of them charging towards her. Iqadi's hands quickly hover over the belt of her panther suit where she pulls out two shards of vibranium, one in each hand. Instead of using them separately, she joins them together and at the sound of a click, she expands her arms, creating a glowing vibranium pole. She swivels it around before locking it underneath one of her arms.

Iqadi gets a running head start. She uses her pole like a javelin and flies over the skeletons. She lets go mid-air and soars down. On her way, she punches one of them to the ground and flips back up, catching her pole in one hand when it falls back. Iqadi grips the pole with two hands and uses it to sweep some of them off their feet. Once they're knocked over, Iqadi turns her pole back into two separate shards and returns them to her belt.

James flies past Iqadi's shoulder, zipping up and down through the hoard of skeletons. He flies into the ribcage of one skeleton and grows back to his normal size, completely destroying that one from the inside out. He looks over his shoulder and gets the badass nod of approval from Merida (which he will definitely never forget since that it more valuable than getting a higher classification level with SHIELD).

James turns around and sees a skeleton rushing towards him. Having no time to shrink down, James just electrifies one of his hands and points it out in the direction of the skeleton to crash into. When he then sees Apollo's ax flying his way, he shrinks back down and runs across the blade to avoid getting sliced.

The ax flies back into Apollo's hand and he begins whirling it again for another go. He holds it up high and lightning strikes. When he slams his ax on the ground, the concrete implodes, sending all the oncoming skeletons off their feet. Apollo then runs straight into his mess to find the survivors. He throws a punch, knocking them over like dominos.

Apollo then chooses to grab one by the neck and hold it high.

"Why are you here?!" Apollo yells at it even though he's not going to get an answer. It was worth the shot to at least try.

Apollo throws it on the ground before going into a fistfight with another group of them. Once there's an opening, Merida slides right through on her thigh as she fires three arrows at once, each of them exploding at the press of the button on her quiver. She leaps back on her feet, inserting another arrow into her quiver. Merida inhales and fires on the exhale. The arrow cuts right through the spinal cord of a skeleton and uses a boomerang effect to fly back to Merida but she ducks purposely to avoid catching it, and the arrow does the same to another skeleton behind her. Then, Merida snags the arrow when it flies back to her.

-o-

 _Elsewhere in Manhattan, New York - Time Frozen_

"Xavier!" Emily exclaims. "Please, get up, please!"

No response.

Emily looks up at all the skeletons and her suit flashes a headcount of a doable number. She stands up, keeping a stance in front of Xavier to protect him as she lights up her repulser beams and starts firing. Emily has to step forwards and leave a distance between her and Xavier just in case any projectiles fly past her and hit him so she pushes a car with the strength of her suit to protect him. When her back is turned to Xavier, he starts coming back to the surface. He feels groggy and dizzy with his head feeling like it's going to explode and his ears are ringing, but the first things he sees when he wakes up are the skeletons and he immediately recognizes them.

He remembers that dead forest where it was dark the whole time. He remembers the leader who always loomed over him and knew him by name. _"Welcome to my realm, Xavier Rogers, for I am Hela, the Goddess of Death."_ He remembers seeing her again, feeling a tinge if joy inside of him before he became unsure if she was alive or not. _"I am in a limbo..."_ Then, the last moment he truly remembers is taking her hand and running for their lives. _"I suppose my fleet will suffice..."_

Seeing those same skeletons makes Xavier groan to himself as he touches the open gash on his forehead.

"...not you again!" Xavier yells frustratedly.

His voice causes Emily to turn around and she sighs in relief. But for a moment, she thinks she's optimistically hallucinating. Emily puts her suit on an automatic fight mode as she ejects herself from her suit, taking out the gun she keeps in there.

Xavier looks up and sees a skeleton approaching him. His hand stretches back to grab his shield but before he could do anything, he hears gunshots and the skeleton crumpled before him. Xavier looks ahead and through the underneath section of the car in front of him, he sees heels walking towards him. Once they're in full view, he sees Emily standing there with a gun in her hands. She immediately kneels beside him.

"Oh, thank Thor..." Emily pants gratefully as she puts the gun in her belt. "I thought you died. My suit picked up mild internal bleeding."

Xavier waves it off. "Internal bleeding is fine because that's where the blood is supposed to be."

Emily is left speechless at that unorthodox logic. Xavier stands up and curses at the sight of the skeletons as he pulls out his shield.

"I was able to locate the others," Emily says.

She points the way and she and Xavier start running. Emily calls for her suit to follow but still give them a head start from the skeletons.

"They are just along 5th Avenue and in the same predicament we were," Emily continues. "Daniel is still nowhere to be found but I'm working on it. Do you have a plan yet?"

Xavier shakes his head. "Find out what the hell is this, how the hell this is happening, and where the hell Daniel is."

"Is that all a pun?"

"Shut up, Stark."

Emily snickers as Xavier rolls his eyes. He looks down and sees that Emily is sprinting in her heels.

"How the hell did your shoes stay on this whole time?" Xavier asks her.

"I only buy good quality," she responds.

-o-

 _Location Unknown, Time Unknown_

"You cannot hide from me forever!" The voice continues to yell.

Daniel continues to back further and further away from the voice, wherever it was coming from. He just hopes he's scurrying in the opposite direction. Daniel knows that whoever is screaming is calling for a monster and he knows that his Hulk is the only monster here. He fears whoever would want it and why they would ever need it.

"I know you are beneath the Earth ready to eat it alive!"

At the sound of those words, the ground starts trembling as if on cue. Daniel stumbles over, falling on the dry ground and sand flies into his eyes. He coughs and wheezes as he continues to scurry away. Once the ground has calmed down, Daniel continuously blinks to get moisture back into his dry eyes. He rubs at them furiously and end up turning them green to ease the pain better and easier. For the moment, he decides to keep them at that state to benefit him.

Daniel looks ahead and sees a giant crack in the ground. He continues panting as that sign alone tells him that he's not the monster being searched for here. At that point, he should feel relieved but he isn't because now, he hears footsteps.

Daniel turns around in absolute fear, ready to turn into the Hulk if need-be. He turns his head around to see what's there and his entire body freezes at the sight.

She takes every step towards him delicately and lovely, each move perfectly intricate and coordinated. It's a woman in a dark green and black high-low cut dress with a tight top and flowing skirt that billows behind her. Her dark boots come to a stop once she comes close enough. The bodice of her is tied tight, contrasting against her free-flowing golden hair and magic surrounding her atmosphere. Her eyes are as green as her powers, similar to his, and her mouth is slightly opened in a sort of shock. And sitting on her head is nothing other than The Serpent Crown.

She is so familiar as if she has never changed in the past years, but she also looks like a completely different person. It's not moving on, it's moving differently. That's all this is. Different life. Different world. Different rules. They don't ever leave that world behind. They just create a new one. She has taken his breath away from his lungs. Daniel is almost scared to say her name since Sigyn Lokisdottir looks and sounds so foreign to him.

When Sigyn's eyes lock with his, the winds stop and the magic disappears from her hands as they fall to her sides as the ground settles to rest. Her hair rests on her shoulders and her chest heaves up and down with every breath she takes. It's almost like _she's_ the one surprised to see _him_ at the moment.

"I hate that you are seeing me like this..." Sigyn whispers to him, her voice cracking. It contrasts her current appearance.

"I'm just glad I get to see you," Daniel responds.

Daniel feels calm yet petrified at the same time. Yes, the voice now has a familiar face to it but at the same time, she's unrecognizable. One thing that Daniel's always remembered about Britney Braun is that even though she's very fragile, she can hit with the strength of ten thousand men.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What will happen when Daniel has a few words with Sigyn?**


	106. All Together Part Seven

**_Recap_ \- Everyone is fighting the abrupt skeleton invasion while Daniel and Sigyn finally exchange some words.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Six: All Together Part Seven

 _Location Unknown - Time Unknown_

Daniel can't believe anything that's happening to him right now starting from time freezing to the skeleton attack to appearing who knows where, and now being face-to-face with Sigyn. Even though all of that has him shaking, it's the fact that she has the Serpent Crown on her head that has him worried the most. All he could think of right now is what Xavier told him when he saw Sigyn in Hel and how she kind of looked the same but she was a different person: a broken ticking time bomb that could go off even before the seconds finished counting down. Daniel knows that right now, he has to be careful with what he says.

"Why do you have that crown?" Daniel asks, his voice slightly trembling. "Take it off, now."

"Relax, Daniel, it is helping me," Sigyn replies eerily calm.

Daniel shakes his head slowly. "No, it won't. You are mighty and your strength alone is your crown. You don't need it."

"How do you know?"

Sigyn's head tilts a little and she squints her eyes as if she was analyzing him. Daniel hesitates on whether he already messed up or not. His chest heaves up and down and his arm automatically goes in front of his chest, as if it was to protect him. That's when he realizes that the only thing he's wearing are torn up pants. Everything else down to his glasses disappeared when he turned into his Hulk back in the city. Apart from his forced-green eyes, he's completely vulnerable to Sigyn at the moment.

"I don't," Daniel admits as a bit of a lie. "I really don't know anything that's going on right now. Are you really here? Alive?"

"For now..." Sigyn mutters.

That's an indicator to Daniel that she is in fact alive at the moment. The comment he got from Xavier about her being in a limbo make sense now. She is alive but expecting death which is why she considers herself to be in-between.

"Please tell me what is going on..." Daniel softly begs. "What is happening to you?"

To his surprise, the longer Sigyn looks at him, her eyes open and tears start welling in her eyes. Her expression softens and drops a little. Daniel wants to hug her right now but keeps his distance.

"After I left for Asgard, I killed my mother and took all of her power," Sigyn tells him. "That was the start of it all going downhill and now, everything is coming to an end. I thought I was free from her desire to have my death prophecy come true but it turns out that she was just her playing along with the big man - or the big monster. Did she know about the man pulling the strings? I cannot ask her now, can I?"

Sigyn laughs manically for a bit when she reached that last part, her eyes going distant. Daniel wasn't expecting to hear any of that and he feels selfish for being the queasy one right now.

"...so someone else started a fire and your mother was just tending it, possibly unknowingly," Daniel says just to make sure he understands it. Sigyn nods. "But you can't let that turn you to ashes."

Sigyn's shoulders tremble a little. "Daniel, please, I do not want to hurt you."

Daniel now isn't sure where this conversation is going but it's scaring him. "The only person you are hurting is yourself by calling for some monster and having that crown on your head. You'll fall deeper into someone you're not if you don't stop."

Sigyn's breathing quickens and her face reddens as she tries to hold herself together. "I cannot be saved and I am scared because we are all in danger. All that has happened is my fault because I am trying to do what is right."

Daniel tries to not look like he wants to run off screaming. He knows that he has to try and take control of this conversation in hopes of gaining the ability to maneuver Sigyn into calming down. He holds a steady hand out towards her in hopes to put her at ease.

"No, Sigyn, you have got to get over being scared of whatever you are talking about," Daniel tells her. "No one can hurt you unless you allow them to."

Sigyn lights her hands up with magic and the many rings on her fingers glow. The Serpent Crown illuminates off her magic and the winds pick up. Daniel pulls back from her, returning to the state of being scared.

"I am doing a bad thing for a good cause," Sigyn tells him. "As much as I fear the inevitable future, it has to come."

"How can you be good to anyone if you are not good to yourself?" Daniel asks her.

"I am trying to wake up the monster that Apollo is attempting yet unable to escape from," Sigyn says. "Believe me, Daniel, this is for the better."

"Okay...I don't really know or understand what you are talking about but based on this conversation alone, I think you already woke up the monster inside of you."

And that's the part that broke her: the cold, hard truth. She staggers an exhale as her shoulders move up and down rapidly. Tears stream down her face and her cries are coming out in short, horrific screams. She looks around frantically as if she every spot her eyes land on hurt them. Her hands, still glowing go up to her head but instead of gripping at her hair, it goes for the crown. Sigyn wails as she falls to her knees and just breaks down crying. Daniel tries to take a step closer to her but she waves him off and he listens.

And that's what she does: cry, just cries it all out.

Sometimes, problems are too deep for words and it's at times like those when you need your friends the most because every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone teaches you something about yourself. The cold warmth of his words melt and chill at something inside of her, that shell of protection that she formed over herself. Daniel watches her intently, his eyes seeking hers, but she can't bring herself to look st him. Because that numbness, that shield was the only thing that kept her going, that kept her from shattering to pieces.

Sigyn wipes at her eyes and takes a breath. Her eyes lock with Daniel and his heart stops. She lights up one of her hands and points it at him.

"I am getting you out of here," she tells him with a sudden hardness in her voice. "Apollo has two monsters to kill now..."

-o-

 _Manhattan, New York - Time Frozen_

Angela looks up from her current battle and is relieved to see Xavier and Emily coming in for two reasons: one, they are both alive and two, they need more help on their end in terms of the growing number of skeletons showing up out of that seemingly-endless portal.

"Oh, thank god," Angela breathes out. "Where's Daniel?"

Emily and Xavier shrug and they insert themselves into the fight against the skeletons, bashing them into each other and using their own weapons against them. Angela along with the others need a more detailed answer than that.

"He sort of vanished on me," Emily responds as she blasts some skeletons to pieces. "I'm running a scan on the planet for him now and I'm not picking up anything."

The others all take a quick glance at Xavier to see if Emily was being serious about her statement.

"I still have no idea what the hell is happening or where Daniel is but all we can really do is kill all these skeletons before they get out of our control," Xavier tells them.

"Right," Angela states. "We'll just kill the already-dead. Good plan."

Xavier rolls his eyes as Angela laughs to herself. He takes his shield and throws it, slicing a bunch of them right through their spines. Angela catches the shield and bashes it right through a skeleton. She then hold it up to avoid a sword decapitating her. Angela grunts in defense as she kicks right through the calf and the entire skeleton falls before her. She picks up the sword with one hand as she throws the shield back at Xavier with the other.

"These undead dead things fight better than I do," Emily comments.

"No argument there..." Merida mutters.

Merida considers Emily lucky that she has a suit of armor that can do all the fighting for her. She points her loaded bow at Emily and Emily just stares at her. Merida fires and the arrow zips right past Emily's head and blows up a group of skeletons behind her. Emily shoots Merida a smile and the redhead glares at her (no pun intended).

"I was supposed to return to Wakanda tomorrow," Iqadi tells them as she summons lightning and fires it.

"Call in dead!" James exclaims.

James starts firing his bio-electricity blasts as rapid as a machine gun right below the portal. The others look and think to join in to slow down whatever's oncoming. Emily blasts straight through the arc reactor in her suit's chest as Iqadi and Apollo summon lighting. All of them are aimed at the portal. Meanwhile, Angela, Xavier, and Merida continue getting rid of the skeletons that are still on the streets and those that manage to survive making it through the portal.

"What is on the other side of the portal?" Iqadi asks.

"I'm assuming Hel," Xavier responds. "I saw these skeletons there when I was with Sigyn. It's Hela's fleet."

Apollo lowers his ax as he thinks about what Xavier said. He doesn't understand why the name Hela and the realm Hel bring shivers down his spine but it helps explain why he thought these skeletons looked familiar, despite him not really knowing anything substantial for his missing memories. The only thought that crosses his mind is that before he came to Midgard, he was in Hel and he had a conversation with Hela that -

"Apollo!"

"I am just a boy whose destiny is greater than he could ever be..." He mutters automatically, not knowing why he said that.

Caught off guard, a skeleton charges at him with a battle ax similar to his. It aims for Apollo's right and before Apollo could defend himself from the lethal chop, an unfamiliar white forcefield emits from him and blasts forwards, obliterating every skeleton in sight. His friends suddenly have to defend themselves from the unknown, the skeletons from the portal even pausing for a bit as they observe whatever is happening.

Once it calmed down, everyone else lowers their arms and weapons, staring right at Apollo and wondering what the hell that was. All that it reminds them of is Sigyn's forcefield that would come when she was about to die in a situation fate didn't want her to. It saved her, in a way, which meant only one thing for Apollo.

"I have a destiny..." Apollo mutters just as a fresh fleet of skeletons come pouring down like rainfall once again. He looks right up at them and squints a little. "I have a task to complete and my place to perish is not here..."

* * *

 **For those of you Bucky x Natasha or Winter Widow shippers, I have published a new novella dedicated to them called _His and Hers Scars_. Go check it out if you'd like to.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- the** **battle continues but soon with all of them involved...**


	107. All Together Part Eight

**Yes, that is a new cover. Come fight me.**

 ** _Recap_ \- As everyone continues fighting the ongoing skeleton invasion, Daniel finally had a conversation with Sigyn that did not end the way he wanted it to.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Seven: All Together Part Eight

 _Manhattan, New York - Time Frozen_

James looks over his shoulder and sees Xavier in the middle of a fist-fight but his arm is about to be sliced off by a skeleton sneaking up on him from behind. James zips over at top speed and once he's close enough, he grows back to his normal size and pushes Xavier out of the way. The two men fall to the ground together as the skeletons take each other out. Xavier hopes back up on his feet and extends a hand to James. In response, James yawns with one hand because he's both tired and bored and blasts at a random skeleton with the other because he's still in a battle.

"Merida," Emily says, pointing to her bicep as she silences a notification coming from her suit. "You're bleeding."

Merida looks at the wound on her bicep and her expression lightens as little almost as if she was shocked to see that there. She seems like she would've never noticed that if Emily hadn't have pointed that out. Merida basically shrugs it off which astounds Emily like when Xavier didn't even think twice about his mild internal bleeding.

"I'll survive," Merida tells her.

Elsewhere, Angela gets toppled on top of a car by a skeleton. When it gets on top of her and the sharp blade of its battle ax is right on her neck, pushing against the surface of her skin. Angela takes a quick breath as she grips on the forearms of the skeleton and kicks it over her head. Angela takes the ax and squints her eyes a little as she stands up and surveys the area around her.

She holds the ax at the end of its handle and at the start of the blade. Angela charges at a skeleton, using the ax as a choking grip. She exerts all her strength and ignores the scratching marks she's getting in return from the struggling skeleton in her arms. Once the head pops off, Angela sighs out of relief as she takes the skeleton head and puts a grenade in it. She pulls out the key and throws the head right at the portal.

"Grenade!" Angela exclaims as it explodes.

Meanwhile, Apollo swings his ax like a whirlpool, creating a rippling wind effect at top speed. Skeletons struggle to make it towards him, some even flying back and crashing into nearby infrastructure. Once he figures that's enough, he summons lightning to electrify his ax as he throws it through the crowds, sparking all of them up to the best that he can.

Xavier stands on his two feet, shifting his weight from one side of his body to the other. He whips his shield like a frisbee as he kicks over a skeleton. Xavier leaps in the air and spins, kicking over some more as if they were nothing (which is what he believed this entire battle to be: nothing). When a spear gets thrown at him, Xavier catches it right above his shoulder and he chucks it back. His head perks up when he hears a sound that isn't his team talking, bones being crushed, or something being blasted.

Everyone hears that unfamiliar sound of a rickety motor running.

They look over their shoulders and see Daniel coming in riding an old motorcycle. He parks it in the middle of the chaos and hops off, kicking down the kickstand and walks out in observance of what's happening. The others approach him, noticing that he's only wearing torn pants, covered completely in sand and dust, and has noticeably green eyes since his glasses went missing somewhere.

"Everyone relax, I'm here to save the world," Daniel says as he still looks around to see what's happening. A part of him wishes he was back in the desert with Sigyn since he didn't want to deal with these skeletons again.

Emily lands on the ground as evicts herself from her suit. She runs over and jumps to hug him, grateful that he's finally back with her and is safe (if here is technically considered to be safe).

"Where were you?!" Emily asks as she wraps his head in her arms and kisses him.

Daniel shrugs. "Somewhere that Sigyn also happened to be. She's still in her limbo but she seems to be all over to the place up here." Daniel taps on the side of his head. "She had The Serpent Crown on her."

That suddenly puts a pause button on their current fight. This whole day has been centered on the group learning that Sigyn was coming for them and the fact that Daniel was with Sigyn is important. The information he could've discovered is powerful because it will help them to uncover patterns and in turn use their minds productively and efficiently for whatever could happen next.

"Why?" Apollo asks rushed. "That crown does not comes with good tidings based on what I vaguely remember which is not much."

"She said that it was helping her do a good thing but I couldn't bring it in me to believe her. We don't always make the right choices even when we're adults and supposedly know better."

"How can we know what she's up to?" Angela asks. "We can't know the answer without asking. Did you ask her?"

Daniel shakes his head. "She was too neurotic to actually stay on one topic."

"She has changed so much," Xavier says.

"That's not a good enough word," Daniel argues with a small laugh in his voice. "Typically, we should say that she improved over time but I'd say she evolved."

Emily clears her throat. "Sigyn's not a shitty person but I think she's about to do a really shitty thing."

Merida clears her throat. "I'd hate to be the bringer of bad tidings but we still have all those to deal with."

She uses an arrow to point at the ongoing flood of skeletons. Everyone rearms again after that brief conversation with Daniel. They look at him to suit up and he just stares at all the skeletons with a petrified look on his face.

"After being with Sigyn, my brain is warped," Daniel tells them. "I'm losing my shit!"

"Shit's overrated," James replies. "Lose it."

Daniel looks at James and takes in his words seriously. He just saw Sigyn about to go ballistic in the middle of nowhere, time is still frozen, he's surrounded by armored skeletons that what to slice him in half, and his eyes are already transformed into his Hulk so there is really no point in staying human when there's work to be done.

Everyone circles around as Daniel turns back into his Hulk, roaring loudly and boldly. once the transformation is complete. He slams his large fists into the ground and the concrete rips apart, demolishing whatever skeletons were coming their way. By his side, Merida raises her loaded bow, Angela reloads both of her guns, Emily holds up prepared repulser beams in her hands and arc reactor to blast, Iqadi unleashes her claws, Xavier raises his shield, James lights up his hands, and Apollo swings his ax. Now, they were ready for this.

"Call it, Xavier," Emily prompts with a small smirk on her face.

"Sigyn is apparently coming for us so we'll keep fighting until she shows up," Xavier says. "She might be crazy but she's true to her word in that sense. Until then, we need to figure out what to do and that consists of us being more united than ever. With that in mind, there's going to be no turning back and no freezing because if that happens, all of us will die. Understood?"

Everyone nods at him and James finds the need to salute. Xavier takes that gesture to heart, especially since James will possibly but most definitely be his future brother-in-law (the probability of that being true sometimes giving him terrors). Then, they disperse back into the skeletons.

Emily soars in the air and launches miniature missiles at every corner of this battle to help her friends. She then flies back to the ground, flying just above street level to swipe and blast at whatever skeleton she could.

Merida aims an arrow and shoots it at the ground. The arrowhead splits open and an hefty amount of oil spills out of it. The stampede of skeletons slip and fall all around, their armors clanging into one another. Merida runs into the oil spill, purposely sliding on her thigh. She spins around and fires an arrow into the air. It explodes into a net and entraps another herd of skeletons. Then, Merida stands up and turns her head, immediately ducking when she sees a skeleton being thrown at her. She throws a glare at the Hulk who doesn't seem to care.

The Hulk roars again as continues to pick up skeletons, some being crushed in his hands, others stomped on, and for fun, being unintentionally thrown at the others. Angela would step to the side, Iqadi would claw right through it, James would shrink down to have it soar over him, Apollo would swing at it like a baseball, Xavier would bash it with his shield, Emily would blast it to pieces, and Merida would give the Hulk the finger.

"These skeletons are never-ending," Angela pants. "If we keep fighting, we'll _become_ skeletons."

Iqadi glances up at the portal and a small smile approaches her face.

"Then let's take them all back to where the came from," Iqadi says.

"What?" Apollo asks.

"Find something to hold on to."

Iqadi lifts her arms and summons the winds to her fingertips. The others all stand their ground, holding onto whatever they can that won't get them to fly off. Iqadi uses her hands to methodically swirl the wind and screams brutally as she increases her power. The winds form a tornado and suddenly, all the skeletons are swirling around in it. Iqadi pushes an arm forwards, aiming back towards the portal. Fighting against the intense winds, Apollo lifts his ax and summons lightning, shooting it towards the heart of the storm.

Then, unexpectedly, the storm takes control of its own. The skeletons dissipate and disappear as well as the portal but the tornado remains. Iqadi lowers her arms and Apollo his ax as they step back. The tornado swirls into a cyclone of bright green magic.

"That seems bad!" James exclaims.

The tornado instantly drops and standing in the middle of it is Sigyn herself. Everyone is silent with their eyes nearly bulging out of their heads as they stare at her, needing to pinch themselves to make sure they're not dreaming.

Nobody moves as Sigyn takes a step closer to them. Her heels click on the ground as she inhaled deeply. Her magic flows all around her, extending from her fingertips to where she walks with every step. Everything about her glows, especially her hair which is even more golden now with The Serpent Crown and its illuminating eyes almost shining brighter than her. That crown burns with danger and her eyes burn with victory.

"That seems worse," Merida quickly mutters in a scared exhale.

They don't want to even _try_ to hurt her, let alone fight her. Their weapons are not drawn in absolute fright. It's hard to see the evil in someone until you've been placed on the receiving end and that's where they believe they are right now.

* * *

 **I just had to throw in some _Avengers_ nostalgia.**

 **Stay Tuned - Now, the arc's title gets its meaning put into play. Everyone is now all together.**


	108. All Together Part Nine

**_Note_ \- there are flashbacks in this chapter that will be _italicized_.**

 ** _Recap_ \- The entire group is faced with Sigyn, unsure of what to do and scared out of their minds.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Eight: All Together Part Nine

 _Manhattan, New York - Time Frozen_

And suddenly, it was like the light had walked straight into their lives once again. The woman who was on the tip of their tongues, who made them walk on eggshells, who kept them all up at night was standing right before them, looking at all of them with her gorgeous, gleaming eyes. Even though they knew she was coming eventually from their own beliefs and from a third party, and that this was a part of Xavier's plan - the tension of their whole situation makes she them feel uneasy.

Based on appearance alone, they all know that this isn't the same girl from high school.

-o-

From her glowing eyes, Sigyn can see all her friends - uniformed and armed. She recognizes them but what she really notices are the ways they've changed. None of them matched the memory she has of them. The jeans and backpacks are now swapped for bullet-proof vests and guns. She eyes them all and none of them are making any drastic movements or noise, but it's the subtle motions she notices. Everything from taking a breath, tightening grips on triggers, and even blinking come to her attention.

Then, she feels her body take over her mind. She smiles wickedly, a trait that was definitely inherited from Loki and Amora.

She expected this but it unexpectedly makes her insides flutter: they're afraid of her.

She can't help herself but smirk as she blows them all a kiss of her magic. It's a gesture of great beauty, passion. That was the start before she vanishes in her own spell, reappearing closer and launching herself towards them.

Sigyn phases right through Angela, appearing right in front of the Hulk. With one hand stretched out behind her, she creates a dome that blocks out everyone else. They throw all they have on it but Sigyn is only focused on the green beast in front of her. A small laugh escapes her mouth as she sees her own reflection in his eyes since she can barely recognize herself.

The Hulk roars at her and Sigyn roars back, erupting into laughter until she gets swiped to the side like a little bug. Sigyn rolls on her side before standing back up. She brushes herself off as if that was nothing because in retrospect of what she's been through, it was.

"And to think we just had a moment..." Sigyn mutters before spitting on the ground.

Sigyn rolls back her shoulders as the Hulk comes charging towards her. She holds her hands out and ignited a hypnotic orb that she makes a direct hit onto the Hulk's head. It twists in her control in sync with her arm movements.

To everyone's surprise and her benefit, the Hulk shrinks back into Daniel at her command and he passes out on the ground. Sigyn brushes her hands clean before she turns around and sees every weapon pointed at her, except one in particular that she doesn't put much thought in.

They have no choice now but to fight back, which they do. Little do they know that under her cynical exterior is someone who is going through an entirely different type of fear. Fear. Fear of losing the people she loves. Fear of being controlled. Fear of the monsters in her head. Fear of not being able to say goodbye. Fear of being too late. Fear has imprisoned her all her life and she is done being told what to do. That is why she's hurling her magic and unleashing screams, trying her best to ignore the uncontrollable triggers in her head that only remind her of what she is doing is for -

 _"Some things have to happen," she unwillingly tells him while her senses were clogged with tears. "There are so many possible ways that the future will unravel but they all lead to us dying."_

 _Sigyn plays with the hem of her dress, avoiding to meet his eyes. She then finds herself looking on the ground behind him where she sees the weapon that he just threw to the ground carelessly the moment he learned something he didn't like. If only -_

Sigyn tenses up when she feels something flying off her, like an enormous weight from her shoulders but coming from her head. Her hands immediately go to her head and she sees the Serpent Crown that was once there fly back to everyone else on an arrow. She sees Merida catch her arrow again, taking the crown off of it.

Sigyn shakes her head. "Oh, hell..."

"Stop," Angela says, making her way towards her warily. There is no weapon in her hands. "Please...do not make us fight you. Sigyn - "

 _"- you do not see the evil in which you live..."_

 _Sigyn shudders as the looming shadows make their way closer to her and she lets out a -_

guttural cry or scream. She couldn't tell but it was most likely a mix of the two. Sigyn pushes past Angela, making her way towards the Serpent Crown in Merida's hands. Merida throws the crown lol a frisbee and somersaults out of the way as Sigyn lands there. Guns are being fired at her but Sigyn knows that they are only aimed to graze her, to slow her down and not kill her (as if they could actually do that). Mid-air, James grows back to his normal size as he catches the crown and lands back on the ground.

"You do not know what you are dealing with," Sigyn harshly tells him.

"Are you talking about yourself or this crown?" James asks her back.

Sigyn opens her mouth and no response comes out. She knows that he's referring to her. She raises an arm to blast her magic at him but stumbles off-balance when Emily unexpectedly jumps on her back as a way to force her down. Emily grunts and screams as she claws her way to keep her grip on Sigyn. As her only way of escape, Sigyn phases out-of-place and Emily falls to the ground.

Sigyn doesn't reappear anywhere. Everyone else quickly catches their breaths as they regroup and Daniel comes back to consciousness. Xavier pulls him up to his feet.

"She kind of left this behind," James says, waving the crown around.

"Don't mess around with that thing," Daniel says, grabbing the crown from him.

"She'll come back for it," Merida tells him. "The creepy crown matches the vibes coming from whatever the hell is happening."

"She does not have to come back," Iqadi says.

"What do you mean?" Emily questions.

"She never left."

Iqadi curls her fingers and her eyes turn opaquely white as the clouds above them darken immensely. Lightning strikes at her fingertips as she raises an arm and whips it out towards Daniel. He falls back and everyone else chokes on their own breath until they see Daniel with the crown on his head raising his arm only to truly be crystallizing back into Sigyn. She protects herself from Iqadi's growing lightning storm with a shield of her own magic as she crouches low. Sigyn's -

 _" - eyes and your spells are bright green," the looming figure tells her._

 _"So?" Sigyn questions apathetically._

 _"A color meaning life. Does that mean nothing to you?"_

 _"The irony is that you are the one telling me about life, Goddess of Death."_

 _Hela cackles until she -_ rises back erectly as her power builds. Sigyn shoots a cyclone of her magic back at Iqadi who only responds with a storm.

"Sigyn, please!" Iqadi begs. "We have made up our mind to not hurt you."

"Making up your mind means you have a choice and I do not have one!" Sigyn replies.

As that is being taken care of, the real Daniel comes back to reality only to see lightning and magic. For a second, his hazy mind thinks that he's still dreaming but he knows that this is his real life. Daniel turns his eyes green so he could properly see as Xavier gives him a hand to pull him up.

"Well, this is terrible," Daniel says as he observes what's in front of him.

"There is nothing wrong with being a little bit out of control as long as the situation is in control," Angela says.

"We have no control over her, that's the thing!" Emily exclaims.

"Sigyn..." Xavier mutters to himself.

"If you want to get her attention, you might want to yell her name," Merida grumbles to him.

Xavier's head perks up with an idea that might work this time. "That's it! We may not have control of her, but how well I lead you guys is something I can control. Yell her name. Not Sigyn, Britney."

Everyone hesitates over the odd strategy.

"That plan is so lunatic that it may very well work," Daniel says.

"Britney!" Xavier screams.

Almost instantly, at the sound of that unfamiliar familiar name being repeated by the different voices, she lowers her arms and gets pushed over by the lightning which stops once she hits the ground. In the end, it's not the changes that will break your hearts; it's that bruising tug of familiarity. That's the thing about best friends. That's what they do. They're supposed to keep themselves in your memory to prevent you from spinning off the edge. If only that word alone could possess the power to calm her down.

It only shatters her.

For the first time since she got here, she locks eyes with Apollo who has been standing to the side this whole time. He starts walking up to her with his ax firmly in his grip and her heart starts racing as she tries scooting back as fast as she can.

"What have I done?" Sigyn questions to herself, her voice cracking with gasping sobs.

The longer Apollo looks at her, he only sees someone who towered him when he was down. The moment he lost his memories is coming back to him and it was because of her. She was there and now that he sees her, he is absolutely livid. It feels stressful and painful to watch as she fires her magic with aggression and purpose. Something charged through his body, and he looks down to see his hands balled into fists. He only feels anger; a blinding, breathless rage. His blood boils the more he sees her displaying her unlimited power.

 _"The next time you see me, Apollo, you will certainly kill me," Sigyn told him before his mind was wiped clean at the touch of her magic. "You must fear me and then, you will hate me with a passion. And finally, you will kill me."_

The closer he gets to her, he sees how terrified she is and that's when he realizes that this is his destiny. He picks up speed, whirling his ax behind him for that extra push. Nobody can stop him now and they all try to do so with no success.

"Apollo, please!" Sigyn exclaims.

"You have done enough!" Apollo screams at her as he throws his ax directly at her.

* * *

 **If you're interested, I have a new Spider-Man one-shot out called _I Love Gwen Stacy._**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- With Apollo ready to fight, will he truly end Sigyn?**


	109. Fate Be Answered

**This is one of the chapters in this whole story that makes me sad as hell.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After everyone had their turn fighting against Sigyn, Apollo finally makes his move on her.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Nine: Fate Be Answered

 _Manhattan, New York - Time Frozen_

Sigyn's mouth barely opens as she watches her cousin's ax fly towards her. She stands hypnotized by the sharp object spinning as it comes closer and closer to her. This could end it. This is exactly what she wants while she could still have it. Her plan is working the way she naturally intended it to. So, why is she holding up a handful of magic to defend herself even though that won't work?

"Apollo!" Someone she can't distinguish yells. "Stop this! That's Britney!"

Hearing that name sets loose a monster inside of Apollo as he charges towards Sigyn. That snaps her back into reality and she shoots a portal right in front of her for the ax to fly through. Once the weapon disappears with the portal, she prepares herself to fight against Apollo's defenses and notices that everyone else is doing the same for her.

Angela and Xavier are firing icers at him, some shots hitting his armor or the substance meant to knock him out doesn't even faze him. Emily and James are blasting at him and Iqadi is creating a windstorm to send him back towards them and not her. Sigyn raises an arm to block the wind, and even with all that force against him, he's still so much more powerful than that.

Apollo raises a hand in the air and his ax suddenly comes flying back as if it never left. The moment it lands in his palm, lightning takes over the skies, knocking everyone to the ground except for him. Sigyn gasps for air as she feels her entire body glowing with magic to fight back. She makes a ball of it and shoots it at him. As Apollo staggers back, the lightning storm continues as Sigyn stands back up and makes a run for it.

 _"You already woke up the monster inside of you..."_ Daniel told her earlier and the more she runs, the more likely she is to be hunted by the only force that can kill her.

Sigyn looks in front of her and sees Apollo land from the sky just a few feet from her. She stops running and tears streak down her face as she looks at her cousin, someone who barely recognizes her. Sigyn opens her mouth to say something but it cut off by Apollo's ax slashing her. She flies back, hitting the ground and the ax clanks beside her with a fresh hint of red on it. Sigyn winces in pain, seeing nothing but her own blood all over her and on the ground around her. She stays on the ground and whimpers as she attempts to pull herself back up. She knows she deserved that.

As soon as Apollo sees blood, he turns towards her and starts to run to finish off what he started. He could see Sigyn through her swirling magic. She is on her knees, bent forward, cradling her own hands. The right side of her chest is soaked in blood.

His breath hitches almost as if he wants to laugh.

Sigyn hasn't moved. Her back is to him but she falls onto her hip. She looks back and sees him. Pain is drawn into her features but her eyes widen in fear when she sees him. Fear, panic, regret, and desperation. Apollo looks at her dress which is completely drenched in her own blood; staining her skin and the ground around her.

"You did not even fight back!" Apollo yells at her. "Where is the fun in that?!"

Apollo smiles at her as she tries to cough up blood. It looks as if he was enjoying this as if he waiting so long for this and it was finally here. Sigyn knows she's at fault for this. Besides, she turned him into this and if there was one thing that never left him, it was always wanting to fight.

"I have something you do not: backup," Sigyn replies.

Apollo shakes his head as she lifts up his hand to call his ax back to finish her off. Sigyn's eyes have an accepting regret in them as she closes them. Apollo stares at her, his ax wiggling as it is even unsure whether or not to return to its wielder. Then, Apollo sees Xavier crouched over Sigyn like a protectorate, getting her blood on him.

"What are you doing?" Apollo asks him.

"Apollo, stop," Xavier begs with a shaky voice. His own face is pale and terrified as if Sigyn's feelings transferred to him. "This does not define who you are."

Apollo shakes his head, not wanting his friend to get in his head and mess with him like this. He trusts all of them but he just doesn't understand why they are so sensitive and ready when it comes to defending Sigyn. Even though he doesn't remember what happened in the past seven years, they don't know what she did to him. He thinks that like what Sigyn did to him, she's playing with their minds - hell, they were the ones who got him when he first showed up and apparently under her order as well.

At this point, who knows what else's she's done or worse, what she _will_ do?

"You will not understand," Apollo tells them. "This is for the better."

Apollo urges his ax to come faster but stops again when Daniel steps right in front of his open hand. He tries to not look frightened but can't help himself.

"Sigyn said that what she was doing was for the better," Daniel tells him. "You need to stand down and reason with her or else she will bleed to death."

Apollo looks at him hesitantly. His eyes look at Sigyn who has her head turned away, hiding behind Xavier's body as opposed to his shield. Her chest is still moving up and down with weak breaths. He looks at his other friends who have all surrendered their weapons to stand in front of her. That gets Apollo thinking that Sigyn, despite his own current beliefs, really means something to them if they're willing to sacrifice their own lives at his hand if that means Sigyn gets even just a few more minutes to breathe. Apollo's heart feels heavy as he respects their ballsy move.

After she's fought against them, they're still willing to protect her. He has to find out what that means.

"Alright," Apollo whispers, lowering his hand. His ax stops moving. "Let me talk with her."

Everyone else looks at each other with doubt. Apollo goes to take his ax and throws it off into the distance, an action signifying that he gives them his word that he will not do anything. Everyone else backs away, leaving Apollo with Sigyn but still remaining close enough just in case he abandons his promise. He sees her continue to bleed out and he approaches her, stepping into her blood and she slowly turns to face him. To his surprise, she has a smile on her face which angers him.

"I do not know what you are up to, traitor," Apollo snarls at her. "Look at how powerful you are and yet you are so weak. Even with all your power and my ax at a disadvantage, I could still kill you right now."

"Then, do it," Sigyn replies tauntingly. "My days are numbered as are yours. Go on now, kill me."

"I will not stop until you feel the same pain I do."

"I carry enough burden for the both of us. You do not even remember Asgard's history for the last seven years." She cranes her head up a little, still keeping that bloody smirk on her face.

Apollo pauses. That is her only advantage against him. She knows everything that happened on Asgard for the past seven years and he doesn't. Apollo takes another step closer to her and as his shadow covers her body, her smiling façade vanishes.

"I do not remember anything because of you," Apollo tells her.

Sigyn folds her fingers together. "Please, at least remember who I am."

"You are the one destined to be killed by me."

Sigyn tenses up a little as she nods. "Try to think back to what happened before you showed up on Midgard. Why you were here to begin with."

"It was because of you!" Apollo yells at her.

Apollo grabs her by the neck and hoists her up high all with one hand. With his free hand, he holds it out to call his ax. The others all get ready to fight back but Sigyn pushes out her own bloodied hand, stopping them. They obey her as she grips her hands around Apollo's wrist that holds her neck tightly.

"You are scared right now, Apollo..." Sigyn whispers to him. "You could kill me but you will not. Your ax is not even in your hand right now because it is all a bluff and a courageous mask. You did not even strike me when I showed up and let our friends handle me. You froze when I was down and vulnerable. You may not remember everything but you remember enough."

Apollo is shaking. His strong composure is shattering at his feet, but he keeps his hold on Sigyn.

"Lies!" He yells at her with a sob hiding in there. "All you have been doing is lying!"

"I know," Sigyn confesses. "You are so scared of what is coming so I made the choice to block those memories from your mind but I messed you up on purpose. Think harder, Apollo, there was nothing we could've done."

Sigyn closes her eyes, ready and accepting of her fate coming to an end in one swoop. But instead, she feels her feet touch the ground and her neck liberated. Sigyn opens her eyes and tears fall out as she sees Apollo standing in front of her, saddened with red-rimmed eyes.

"I have always wanted to come back here to Midgard and see all of them," Sigyn tells him as her eyes look towards their friends, "even under these circumstances. But at least I am fulfilled. Now, do what has to be done..."

She waits for Apollo to call his ax and she hears it flying in, perfectly landing in his hands. His eyes are just fixated on her blood that stains his armor and weapon, making him stammer and queasy. When he looks at her again, suddenly, she feels more scared than when he was charging at her with a full force of lighting. Her bones rattle at the thought that what's coming in the next few seconds is worse than death.

"Give me memories back," Apollo orders.

Sigyn shakes her head. She has to get out of here and bleed to death while she still can. She will literally do anything to not give those back to Apollo. Her hands start swirling with magic that disappears the moment Apollo grabs her wrists.

"Do not disappear," he orders sternly.

Sigyn barely nods. She dares not to speak. At the demand of reversing what she's done, a surge of feelings that had engulfed Apollo to the point beyond anger into an extremity of bewilderment and disgust started to choke her. His breathing is irregular and heavy, he clenches and unclenches the ax in his hand. And still, he stares into her with a rigidity of savagery in his face. His eyes are bright and the muscles in his throat tense. He is fighting off an emotion that he did not want to expose in the first place. She knows enough to recognize that absent memories were crowding in and there was nothing driving this turmoil except his desire for them. He takes a step forwards and she shrinks back, the sharp edges of his ax glistening in the sunlight.

"Look at me," he tells her. "Look at me now.."

She looks up at him and tears of pain and fright run down from her deep-set eyes, and blood dribbles down from a cut lip.

"Just give me my memories back," Apollo demands again.

"I was doing you a favor," Sigyn argues softly.

"A favor is only a favor if it is asked for!" Apollo yells. "I wanted none of this!"

Sigyn starts trembling as she begins to cry. "There is so much you will remember and it will bring you nothing but eternal pain."

"Do it."

She knows she has no choice at this point. "I am so sorry, my cousin."

Sigyn lights up both her hands and her arms burn with regret as she holds them up around Apollo's head. She is a warrior without a physical weapon because she uses her magic to conquer whatever attempts to break them. Not now, however. Her entire body is shaking as she expels her magic back at him, returning what he craved. She said she was sorry like everyone would, but she didn't sound like she was sorry. She just sounded defeated.

And then, just as her magic starts melding into his brain, missing pieces rise up and expand, like something breaking the surface of reality and rippling into his conscious mind. For Apollo, it feels like everything just stops.

His body begins to slow down. His lungs contract, expelling his last breath. He stumbles, trying to grab her for support but she backs up so he falls over. He blinks at Sigyn but his vision blurs. Apollo can't move. His breaths wheeze as he slumps forwards. His eyelids are so heavy. His brain clouds over with...with _his lost memories._ He feels like his limbs are made of sand like his skull is thickening up to unwillingly accept the flood of memories coming towards him.

When his memories were first taken, he believed that he'd lost everything. But once his mind was refilled, he saw that so much of the past seven years was lost in a haze of pain, loss, manic, anger, betrayal, and a sadness so raw that there were days where he couldn't summon the energy to eat or even scream. Entire nights in which shadows terrorized him, becoming nightmares of monsters. He wanted to accuse Sigyn of giving him false one to save herself and her lies again, but no, he knows that these are too gruesome and horrible for them to be false. There was no way she could have conjured these out of thin magic.

"No...no, take these back!" Apollo yells at her. "Get these away from me!"

Sigyn tries to straighten up. "You are okay, Apollo. You just - you have to take it all in."

This certainly wasn't a time to tell him that she _'told him so'_. He didn't need that right now or at all.

"No," Apollo spits, but then his expression turns from brutal and violent to terrified, and then, he starts to cry. Apollo gasps a breath, pressing his palms over his ears to block out something that's already there in his mind. "Not again. Make it stop."

Apollo reaches out for Sigyn and she steps back, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It is all right..." She whispers, knowing it wasn't true.

"It is not!"

Apollo swallows. Though his breaths are uneventful he stops shaking this time. He pulls his hands from his ears, still looking bewildered.

His heart drops to the depths of the Earth once he finds out what really happened on Asgard. The mere thought of them makes him dizzy and he knows that he will be awake at night. He thinks that he's weak for not being able to cope with these truths and he knows that he's right.

The biggest fights happen when people really care about each other and she censored those memories to protect him. He understands that she's crazy and crazy doesn't usually have an explanation, but there must be a reason. And now, he knows that these secrets were so big and she couldn't share them with anyone, not her friends, the people close to her, the one she's in love with. So she took them the easy way and used her magic to run. The more he wanted to forget, the harder it became _not_ to remember. Fear could be forgotten, but never for long.

Apollo screams to himself, gripping his own body and hair tightly, up to the point where he knocks himself out and slumps on the ground.

Sigyn finally exhales the long deserved breath. She wipes at her face with her sleeves, unknowingly making streaky marks of blood on her face. She looks at her cousin and kneels down beside him, patting his arm and face until she hears footsteps. Sigyn turns around and rises at the appearance of everyone else whom she forgot was here while fighting Apollo. They look scared and skeptical and frankly, so did she.

"Get him out of here," Sigyn orders as she brushes past them.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going _now_?!" Emily yells at her.

Sigyn shrugs. "To Hel to bleed to death."

"No, you're not," Angela says.

Sigyn scoffs. "Try and stop me."

At the snap of her fingers, she vanishes and time starts ticking again. Everyone else scrambled to get Apollo into their arms so they could get out of there as soon as possible.

* * *

 **And now, Apollo finally has those memories back!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- With a bleeding Sigyn and Apollo with all his memories back, what does that mean?**


	110. Two Steps Back

**_Recap_ \- After a battle with Sigyn, Apollo has his memories from the past seven years in Asgard back and he doesn't want them.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Ten: Two Steps Back

 _Stark Towers - 4:39 AM_

Everyone's weapons are on one corner of the room and most of its wielders of those are sitting on various couches or pillows on the floor, leaning against the bases of the couch or the wall. Stark Towers is dark with a few lights dimmed down and whatever lights were coming in from windows. Everyone had treated themselves whereas Apollo isolated himself in one of the spare rooms down the hall. He didn't have to lock the room to say that he wanted to be left alone and they all respected that since they honestly had no idea what to say to him after what they all just witnessed. They couldn't relate to getting seven missing years of their lives back after craving them for so long, and then not wanting them anymore.

They all look up from their daydreams to see Emily enter the room with damp hair wetting sections of her tank top. She takes a seat on a vacant spot of the couch and exhales. After everyone freshened up, that's when it hits them that this has been a long and tiring day.

"On a scale of one to ten," Emily starts, "how likely are you to never fall asleep again?"

"Horizontal eight," Xavier grumbles as he rests his head on a pillow and keeps his eyes open. He draws the horizontal eight in the air with his finger to show that it makes an infinity sign.

Emily nods her head in agreement and the others do the same as the elevator rings. They all look over and the doors open. James walks in carrying some plastic bags that he plops onto Emily's coffee table in the center, making a loud noise as it lands. He pulls out several two-liter bottles of various sodas and bags of chips.

"Late night more like early morning," Daniel mutters with a small grin as he looks at the assortment.

"Hey," James says in defense, "we don't have to go into work tomorrow - or should I say, in a few hours."

"Because you all took responsibility for Sigyn's actions and SHIELD put you on probation after a short period of time off," Iqadi corrects.

James looks at her indifferently. "You hear probation, I hear vacation!"

He proceeds to rip open a bag of chips and eat as much as he can in one go. James gets through half of the bag before he notices everyone just staring at him.

"What?" James questions. "Fighting skeletons and Sigyn at the same time burns a lot of calories and sometimes, I think I deserve to eat a bag of chips."

Angela glances over at Emily. "Don't you have anything healthier to eat?"

Emily takes a look at her kitchen from her spot on the couch. "I got cookies in the cupboards, cake in the fridge, ice cream in the freezer - "

"I said _healthier_ , Emily."

"I got a grocery store down the street."

Angela rolls her eyes and Emily and James laugh. He passes Emily his opened bag of chips and she helps herself.

"Could I have a sip of that?" Merida asks as she lazily points at a bottle of soda. "Or better yet, the whole bottle? I'd like to pass out."

"I don't think a bottle will help," Xavier says. "Maybe at least ten will."

Merida takes an entire liter bottle of orange soda and opens it. As if fizzes, Merida takes a straw and pushes it inside, putting her hand on top to prevent the straw from bouncing out. She winks at Angela as she takes a sip.

"I'm on a cleanse," Merida jokes.

And then, they just sat there in an uncomfortable silence that became comfortable with the sound of rustling chip bags, fizzing drinks, crunching, and sipping. Nobody slept or moved for that matter. What was there to do when their friend was in the other room completely destroyed? The moment Sigyn vanished and time went back to its normal course, Apollo came back to consciousness on the border of hysteria and paranoia. It was almost like the moment he first arrived from Asgard except for this time, he does know everything.

When one of them hurts, they all feel the same kind of pain. By witnessing Apollo's broken state, they feel sad by not being able to fix it.

"What are we going to do?" Angela asks.

"About what?" Xavier asks back. "You gotta be more specific when everything is wrong."

"When did all of this get fucked up?" James asks.

"We've always been fucked up," Daniel responds with a small laugh. "What happened in Asgard just seems like a really, really sad book that we have to read."

"None of this is normal..." Iqadi says. "Or maybe, all of it is normal. It is kind of hard to tell anymore."

"At least Sigyn isn't dead," James says both optimistically and yet, still doubtfully.

"She'll come back," Merida says.

"How can you be so sure?" Xavier asks. "Last time I checked, she was bleeding to death and weren't you the one who blamed her for everything?"

Merida scoffs as she nods her head. "That, my friend, is called character development on my part. But aside from that, Sigyn did say she was coming for us and I won't allow her to just bleed in a ditch somewhere. I'll even patch the bitch up myself and let her talk _before_ I proceed to letting her die of blood loss."

"That, and someone has to talk to Apollo," Daniel says. "Anyone have Asgard's phone number?"

It's almost like his question was answered. The elevator rings again and they all turn around to see someone walk in. It wasn't Sigyn but someone else who made everyone stand up when she walked in the room.

-o-

He's been told that it's okay to give into his emotions but he should try to fight his way through the bad ones. That his heart won't heal until it's completely broken.

Now, Apollo's heart is beyond broken. It's completely dissolved and he doesn't know where it went. If anything, the only blood he has on his body is Sigyn's. His cousin. The cousin he finally remembered to be like his sister. He was destined to kill her and now, this is just a reminder that he almost did. _And she could be bleeding to her death right this very moment while he sits here calling himself the mess..._

Apollo sits in the corner of the next room over, in the dark. He's shaking, still wearing his armor from earlier that has dried up stains of Sigyn's blood on it. He can't fathom that on top of imagining his cousin bleeding to death somewhere unknown, the past seven years for him were the worst years of his life. Sometimes, the only thing he could hold onto were those memories. No matter how much he held onto them, how much he prayed they weren't real, they will always be the truth of what happened. Every thought and flashback now has a sliver of sadness around the happy memories. There's something about remembering that just isn't the same as the real thing. No matter how happy something made him feel, he had to recognize that it makes his insides hurt.

Sigyn said that she had to carry their fear for the both of them. She chose to inherit a double dose of their scared and gave him the chance to lose out on his portion of fear. For the longest time growing up, he didn't think anything scared him and from what he's been exposed to, nothing has. A part of that came from his Asgardian heritage and yes, some things have made him jump a little but nothing has ever made his bones rattle until those memories came back to him and he remembered that his worst fear came into existence in those seven years and haunted him that whole time.

There's a strong difference between living fearlessly and knowing you have something to fear while out living. He wasn't brave before those seven years happened because he had nothing to be scared of.

And now, he can barely breathe and the monster in his head and nightmares is eating him alive.

Apollo looks up when he hears the door open. At first glance, he sees the monster and scoots back, slamming against the wall he was against. His intense breathing and shaking are holding him back from screaming. He has nothing to hold onto and he feels as if he's on the brink of having a panic attack. And then, he sees what it is when it walks into the light coming in through the window.

Instantly, he calms down. It's his mother. Her hair is down and she wears a dark purple-grey Asgardian dress with silver accents. She looks at him with a sad smile. She is happy to see her son but not like this.

Apollo stands up in a rush and his breathing slows down. He takes a step forwards and touches his mother's arms, holding her just to make sure she was really there and this wasn't his mind playing with him. He moves his hands up to her shoulders and then her face just as she touches his beard.

Jane smile turns happier for a slim second and tears start forming in Apollo's eyes. If there was something wonderful about Asgard, it was his mother.

"Hi, baby..." Jane softly says to him.

"Mom - " Apollo replies before she cuts him off with a hug.

"Shh..." she rubs his back.

Apollo was so much taller and bigger than her but that didn't stop her from cradling her like he was a baby. No matter how old he was or how much of a beard was on his face, she was still his mother. It was always painful to know that someone you care about deeply is hurting, and no matter what you do, it can never be completely cured. And even though Jane didn't know how to take his pain away, that didn't mean she couldn't try her damn hardest.

"Oh, Apollo..." Jane says, trying to keep herself from crying as well. She just lets her tears fall. "Your father is coming soon. Sigyn is - "

Apollo tries to say something but his voice catches. An earsplitting scream emerges from his gut, exploding in his throat, and uses every inch of him to be heard. The cry that finally comes out of his body feels like the sky ripping open. He falls into his mother and she holds him, feeling his rib cage heave spastically. They both fall on their knees, both trembling. There were no thoughts going around in their heads, just sobs. He didn't mean to do this. As soon as his mother held him in her arms, he couldn't help himself.

* * *

 **Hello there, Jane Foster, welcome to this story.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Sigyn went to an unlikely place after seeing Apollo...**


	111. Swear By Blood

**I know I had a game plan for how this whole story was going to go, but now I DRASTICALLY changed the ending and it's still freaking me out (and I wrote this author's note days ago.)**

 ** _Recap_ \- After giving Apollo his memories back, Sigyn continued to bleed as she disappeared from everyone else...**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Eleven: Swear By Blood

 _Asgard - A Bit Earlier_

Sigyn appears in a bedroom in Asgard's palace, not going to Hel to bleed to death like she said she was going to. She and Hela were not on good terms at the moment so she chose Asgard...a realm that she is also not really on better terms with. Still, she knew Asgard would be more accepting to her presence than Hel so here she is now.

Sigyn looks around and is a bit relieved that nobody is there. Her head spins but she makes her way over to the vanity, accidentally knocking over whatever's there. To her luck, nothing shatters. She looks down at her body and sees that the remnants of her dress has a gash through the fabric and is a darker shade of black due to congealed blood. She tears off the edges of her skirt and wipes away as much as she can. Usually, a wound could be healed with a spell but since it's from Apollo, her spells won't work. That's the downfall of being destined to die at her cousin's hand.

She looks up at her reflection and barely recognizes herself. Her skin is paler, covered in streaks of her own blood. Her lip is cut and her cheeks are hollow. With every breath, she's pulled back to the chaos of the fight, the terrifying sight of Apollo about to end her life, the echoes of her friends that continue to reverberate in her blood as it exits her body. Gazing up into the darkness, she sees herself as a creature driven and derided by vanity, and her eyes that once burned with anguish and anger at the prime of her master plan are dried out. She longs to wash the battle from her hair and get rid of the blood that has dried and clumped some of her hair together. But at least The Serpent Crown is still on her head.

And she sees that she's still bleeding.

Sigyn curses under her breath as she scrambles for some kind of clean fabric to press against her wound. Her eyes flicker up when she notices the lights turn on, and she curses again. Sigyn turns on her heel and sees Freya standing at the doorway, obviously since Sigyn now realizes that she appeared in her bedroom. Sigyn tries to read Freya's face and she isn't sure if it's mad or surprised. Her face is somehow irritated yet inviting at the same time.

"If only we could escape this life with so few scars..." Sigyn says.

Freya slams the door and storms over to Sigyn. Once she's standing right in front of her and sees all the blood up close, she opens the bottom drawer of her vanity and pulls out a first aid kit. She opens that and she and Sigyn start rummaging around it. Sigyn heaps some wipes to clean off her face as Freya wipes the wound. In all honesty, Sigyn was expecting Freya's right hook.

"I have been trying to contact you," Freya mutters angrily.

"Sounds like your personal problem," Sigyn replies.

"Why do you have that crown?"

"Matches my outfit."

Freya groans in annoyance. "What is wrong with you?"

Sigyn laughs a little too cheerfully for her own situation. "Have you met my parents? I have so many issues."

"Sigyn, I am serious. I was looking for you."

"Well, I am right here."

Sigyn's smile disappears when Freya slams a hand on the vanity, causing Sigyn to jump a little. Sigyn sees Freya's stern expression and shivers a little until Freya's features soften up.

"Where have you been?" Freya asks gently this time. "I have been covering for you but it has been months."

"I will explain when the time comes," Sigyn mutters.

"Make that time now."

Sigyn gives her a nasty side-eye. "You know, I am okay."

A small laugh escapes Freya's mouth as she turns her head. Sigyn rolls her eyes, feeling offended at that reaction as she pulls out an empty needle from the first aid kit and fills it up with antibiotics to kill an infection that may or may not be there.

"Okay?!" Freya repeats sarcastically. "Sigyn, please, you did not trip over your own shadow. You aimed Apollo's ax at yourself."

"In my defense, you and I had a plan," Sigyn states, raising her hands in innocence.

Freya's laugh is louder this time. "No, _you_ had a plan. I was trying to sweep your gigantic mess under the rug."

Sigyn rolls her eyes as she looks back in the mirror and at her wound. She holds the needle in her hand and is shaking. She's never really done this and doesn't know how. Thankfully, Freya doesn't completely hate her at the moment and takes over. She does remember that Freya's mother was a palace nurse before she passed away so she probably knows what she's doing and if she doesn't, she still knows more that Sigyn ever did. Sigyn takes a glance at Freya's face and it's unreadable again but concentrating.

"Freya..." Sigyn mutters.

Sigyn leans against the vanity. At first, she still tries to be tough and stay upright but after a minute, she can't take this pain anymore so she eases her way back into the chair, grunting from the effort.

"Does it hurt?" Freya asks, still not looking at her.

"What do you think?"

"Apollo got you good."

"He sure did."

Freya looks at her directly in the eyes. "What have you done? I watched your and Apollo's minds rot like dogs for scraps of anything that will change your fates. I tried my absolute best to hide your mess but when Thor received word that The Serpent Crown was on Midgard, he went ballistic, especially when he came back to what we did. Yes, we had a plan, but you were so locked in your own mind and I cannot know what is going on in there which scares me."

"Look, Freya, I said I was sorry."

"You did not."

"...oh, well, but I seriously owe you an explanation for everything."

"I know I will not be getting it anytime soon." Freya starts bandaging Sigyn up. "But, I will be getting more bandages."

Freya turns and leaves the room, leaving the door slightly open. Sigyn takes a seat on the vanity and for the first time in a while, she relaxes and conjures up a new and clean dress for herself. She feels like she can finally breathe. Her hands hover over her bandages and something is off. Why would Freya go to get more bandages if she was already done?

"Son of a - "

The door flies open and Sigyn quickly stands up when she sees palace guards burst in with their weapons pointed at her. Sigyn backs up and sees Freya walking in after them, mouths a regretful apology to her. Sigyn thinks that she can handle this. She is a powerful sorceress, she can take down some guards. Sigyn turns on her heel and starts making a dash for the window but Thor comes flying in on the balcony, causing her to stop.

"Welcome back to Asgard," Thor tells her in a non-welcoming tone.

Sigyn raises her hands in a surrender. "Call off your guns, I'm not going anywhere."

Thor looks at her hesitantly before dismissing his guards. As they exit, Jane comes running in and for the first time in a while, she looks relieved. She runs over to Sigyn and sobs a little as she hugs her which causes Sigyn to start crying. Sure, she caused stress towards Apollo, Jane, and Freya but it was really Jane who got her to truly realize the severity of what she did. She resembles a child who was apologizing for doing a terrible deed and seeking forgiveness.

"I am so sorry!" Sigyn exclaims as she breaks down in Jane's arms.

"It's okay..." Jane replies softly. "You're fine, you're alive - "

"No, it is not. I did too many bad things."

Jane parts from Sigyn and focuses her face on her own. "Was it worth it? Endangering the lives of all you care about? Would that have been worth it?"

"It would've if it worked." Sigyn takes a breath. "But, Jane, listen to me. You need to go to Midgard and see Apollo. He seriously needs you more than I ever will."

Jane gives Thor a look and he nods, letting her go. Thor makes Freya escort his wife to the Bifrost just so he could be alone with Sigyn. Sigyn looks at him and can say that Thor is the third angry face she's seen in just moments.

"You should go too," Sigyn tells him. "Apollo is your son."

"He is also your cousin," Thor responds.

"Cannot argue with that," Sigyn says before signing. "In theory, I was doing a good thing."

Thor takes her wrist and begins taking her somewhere. "Your version of good was not pure. It was selfish, arrogant, and destructive."

"That is a little rude to say when you do not know the full extent of what happened."

Thor stops walking and stares down at her. "So what?! The Norns call and you just think you can free yourself and die?! Only fools rush death!"

"I am still alive!"

Thor grabs her again and begins taking her down the stairs. Sigyn willingly follows until she doesn't see them stopping anytime soon.

"What are you doing?" Sigyn asks.

"Sigyn Lokisdottir," Thor responds, "I am placing you under arrest for robbery, your crimes on Midgard, and several other counts."

"What?!" She exclaims. "Arresting me?! I almost bled to death and you are just going to lock me up?!"

"No matter what a person goes through, that does not excuse their actions."

Sigyn rolls her eyes. "Whatever."

"And I will be taking this back." He takes the Serpent Crown from her head.

"You can have it even though it matches my outfit better."

Thor takes an annoyed breath as he drags her to the prisons. He walks her through the cells and all the prisoners stand and stare at the two of them as they walk down. Many of the prisoners actually turn their heads away, avoiding her in their sights. That alone sends shivers down Sigyn's spine and emphasizes how bad her actions were: where Asgard's toughest criminals wouldn't even glance her way. The closer Sigyn gets to the end of the cells, the more Thor has to actually drag her against her own resistance, making her boots skid against the floor.

"No, no!" Sigyn begs desperately. "Thor, talk to me, this is a little extra, do you think? I have the right to a convicting."

"And that, I will give you." Thor throws her into the cell and its wall forms before she could stand up again. "Meet your judge and jury."

Sigyn doesn't have to turn around to know what cell she's in. The obnoxious laugh irritates her, sending shivers down her spine. She has to bang on the glass for Thor's attention but he leaves her there with a smirk. Sigyn groans before she forces herself to turn around.

"Hello, my daughter," Loki tells her with a snarky grin on his face. "Court is in session."

* * *

 **More like: hello to you, Loki.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- Sigyn will finally explain her actions and why she took away Apollo's memories.**


	112. Final Confession

**_Recap_ \- After returning to Asgard, Sigyn got bandaged up by Freya who turned her in to Thor. Thor then arrested her in Loki's cell.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twelve: Final Confession

 _Asgard_

Sigyn keeps her eyes focused on her father who hasn't stopped laughing since Thor threw her in here. Even when Loki ran out of breath, he still continues to wheeze away his laughter, bending over and holding his sides which are definitely cramping. Sigyn rolls her eyes and puts a hand to her forehead in annoyance until Loki would quiet down, which he did after about ten minutes. Loki walks over to a chair and finally takes a seat to catch his breath as Sigyn approaches her.

"Are you done?" Sigyn questions.

"For now," Loki responds.

Sigyn figures that's a better response. She takes a seat on the side table next to Loki's chair.

"I did a bad thing," Sigyn confesses.

"On a scale of your mother kidnapping you and your friends at grad, turning your Hulk friend into his Hulk only to have him rampage at you as well as hypnotize Apollo into killing you; compared to what I did in New York with the Chitauri invasion and the Tesseract, and almost ruling everybody mortal on Midgard; how bad was whatever you did?"

"I took Apollo's memories and abandoned him on Midgard, borrowed some of Hela's fleet, stole the Serpent Crown from the vault, froze time, almost killed my friends with those skeletons, and almost got Apollo to purposely kill me."

Loki stares at her passively and Sigyn sits there impatiently for some sort of reaction. At first, Sigyn expects him to cry out laughing but instead, he tears up out of pride as he puts a hand on her shoulder.

"You truly are my offspring," Loki beams.

Sigyn shrugs away his hand as she stands up. She crosses her arms and walks back and forth with her head down. Then, she turns to Loki and sees him sitting back in his chair. His eyes are narrowed, not in an irritated way but a studious one. She huffs out a breath as she raises her eyebrows at him.

"What?" Sigyn asks.

"I was going to ask why you did not just stay on Midgard if you were so keen on avoiding Thor because you harmed his only child and took the crown that started it all." Loki sits up in his seat with a smirk starting to form on the corner of his mouth. "But you would have responded with something along the line of how your friends from Midgard hate you and even though they definitely protected you while Apollo had the goal of slicing you open."

"You think they hate me?" Sigyn questions even though she knows the answer is yes. "Why would they protect me if they hate me?"

"Because you are crazy. A crazy woman that has history with them and unanswered questions with everyone else including them."

"Fair enough."

Loki walks up to her. "You are unbelievable, Sigyn. You are playing both hero and villain."

"If I had known that my actions would have caused so much chaos and heartbreak, I would not have done it."

"Liar."

"Shut up."

Loki sighs happily as he puts a hand on Sigyn's shoulder again. "My darling one, you are so young and lovely but inexperienced and totally dense. The world is in your fingertips and will rise to tread on you. Do not blame yourself for protecting someone."

"Why do you let me do this?"

Loki removes his hand from her shoulder and puts it on his chest in disbelief that he is the one being blamed. "When did I ever say to do your stupid plan? All I said to you was to go to Hel."

"Which was absolutely pointless, by the way. Hela trapped me in there for months."

"She did not trap you. You could have left whenever you wanted to. You have all the power in all the Nine Realms and you know, there is not a spell for everything."

Sigyn takes a shaky breath and looks down at her hands which are trembling. When she exhales, her breath turns into a cry. Tears start streaming down her face as she listens to how much she has in her and how it resulted in her doing something completely moronic. And now she's here: bandaged up and sobbing in her father's prison cell after she left her cousin with his memories which are going to give him so much distress and possibly make him worse than how he was on Asgard.

Loki approaches her and lifts her chin up so that her eyes look into his. All he sees are her tears and he drops her face. Sigyn gives him a strange face.

"You already look like Amora and took her power too after you killed her," Loki tells her. "Maybe you are really her daughter and barely mine."

Sigyn backs away at the sound of that name, holding up a shaking hand that glows with magic. If there was one thing that made her trigger more than anything, aside from what happened in Asgard during the past seven years, it was the mention of her mother.

"She was an awful sorceress and thank god she is dead but I am still alive and I am begging you for once in your life to be honest with me," Sigyn confesses to him. "Help me. Care for me more."

Loki's face softens with a slight smirk. "Please do not force your fate like she wanted."

-o-

Later on in the day, Thor renters the prisons. When he approaches Loki's cell, he sees Loki reading a book with his legs crossed on the couch and Sigyn lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling absentmindedly. He clears his throat as Sigyn's head pops up. When she sees Thor, she scrambles up and begs on her knees for him to release her.

"Please get rid of her," Loki says to his brother. "All she does is cry and complain."

Thor sighs in annoyance as he takes Sigyn out, knowing that Loki is very well joking about his distaste in his daughter, but the crying and complaining might be true. When he takes Sigyn out, to her surprise, he slaps chains on her wrists and bounds them behind her. These chains were designed to hold back her magic so she really couldn't escape them.

"Seriously?" Sigyn asks as she can hear Loki laughing at her from his cell. "What are these for?"

"You said I was being extra earlier," Thor responds with a small laugh as he begins escorting Sigyn out. "So, I took it upon myself to make proper use of that word."

Sigyn rolls her eyes. "Why was I even locked up? How dare you treat me like a criminal. Sure, I did some bad things but really?"

"How dare _I_? I am the ruler of Asgard and protector of Midgard - two realms which you have done cruel towards. Needless to say but do I really have to list every criminalistic action you have committed? Because that will take all day. You are under my legal jurisdiction and it is my duty to protect you as well. You were in there so you would talk to Loki."

Sigyn nods a little behind that reasoning. Then, she glances up at Thor as he opens the door for her to walk through.

"Do you regret taking me in?" Sigyn asks.

"Loki is complicated and I know from experience that he is rotten to the core," Thor responds. "And seeing you as the target of Amora and you ending her left me stunned. However, Jane and I do not regret taking you in one bit."

"Kind of seems like you do."

"Now, I kind of do." Thor nudges her a little to get her to lighten up which she doesn't. "In violent times, you should not have to sell your soul."

Thor grips her bicep and begins leading her towards the Bifrost. Sigyn starts shaking her head and skidding her feet before Thor has to drag her.

"Where are we going?" Sigyn asks even though she already knows the answer.

"Midgard," Thor replies.

"Do we have to? I was just there. And Loki's furniture in his cell needs reupholstering."

Thor glares at her. "We are going to Apollo. You do not have to talk about it now or even think about it, but you are going to have to. At some point, you both will have to face what happened, just not right now."

-o-

 _Stark Towers - 8:42 AM_

Thor yanks Sigyn from Heimdall's shooting portal and she recognizes their location as the landing dock at Stark Towers. Sigyn can't breathe for a moment since she hasn't been here since she was a teenager and now she was back in handcuffs. So much can happen in seven years and she's learned that the hard way. She follows Thor's lead, looking over her shoulder all the way down to the ground. Thor immediately pulls her closer to him and she frowns.

"Do not think about it," Thor tells her as if he's read her mind. "You have a horrible habit of wanting to jump off high edges."

"I was actually thinking of throwing you off it and then making a run for it," Sigyn mutters.

Thor laughs a little as he takes her right inside Stark Towers.

"You cannot just waltz right in without knocking," Sigyn ironically scolds Thor. "That is not polite."

"You are not one to tell me what manners are."

"Rude!"

The moment she yelled, Sigyn notices people entering the room to greet them. It's her friends if she can still call them that. They all stare at her as if they're looking at a display in a museum - astonished that she's still around and acknowledging a look-but-don't-touch mindset. They almost feel the need to walk on eggshells in her presence. Lucky for her, Jane runs out and approaches Sigyn and Thor. Her gaze immediately falls on Sigyn's bound wrists.

"Really, Thor?" Jane questions. "The cuffs?"

"She asked for it," Thor innocently responds.

Sigyn opens her mouth to object to that but sees that Jane doesn't have the time or interest to deal with it. She takes Thor's hand and drags him to the next room where Apollo definitely is. Sigyn smirks at the fact that Thor was now the one being dragged around. But now, she's alone with her maybe-still-friends and it's making her uncomfortable.

"...so..." Sigyn mutters as she testers on her feet. "How have you all been?"

"Worried," James replies flatly.

Sigyn nods. "Good answer."

"Do you want anything to eat?" Emily asks.

"Nope," Sigyn lies because she is actually starving. "I think I would end up vomiting. Are you and Daniel married yet?"

"Nope."

"Still planning," Daniel adds. "Are you okay?"

"Also, no." She looks over at Iqadi. "Any babies?"

Iqadi shakes her head. "Miscarried a while back."

"Oh..." Sigyn suddenly feels empty for her. "I'm sorry."

Iqadi smiles a little at her. Sigyn can never feel the same pain as her at the moment since nothing she has experienced can be compared to losing a child (or maybe she can imagine. Time is still young and Fate's clock is still ticking even after she tried to speed it up).

"Please tell me you're going to stay this time," James says to Sigyn, sounding a little desperate this time.

Sigyn is taken aback for a moment since they still want her. "You all have a large capacity of forgiveness."

"You haven't even apologized yet," Merida says with her signature snarky flare. Sigyn admits to missing that and really appreciates it now more than ever.

"Forgive me, but I have a list of apologies and explanations to do." She glances at Xavier who struggles to meet her eyes. "For starters, I am sorry for what happened in Hel."

Xavier nods as he takes a breath. "I'm glad I can finally see you in some daylight."

"I am glad I finally see some light."

Sigyn smirks a little but it suddenly vanishes when she sees Apollo walk into the room with his parents behind him. He cleaned up and changed into a fresh set of clothes, but the fright on his face is still present when he sees her. She wants to make a run for it but she can't move. She watches Apollo turn around to look at his parents, and he and Sigyn both can't take their eyes off of them. Their expressions will forever be burned into their memories. Fear and panic mixed with relief and concern, not just for what happened but what could've.

She knows that Apollo wants to yell at her. He would want to berate her for taking away him memories, for controlling Hela's soldiers, for putting their friends through this - but his mind is too desperate for an explanation for all this.

Sigyn steps back and looks at the ground with guilt. Tears start forming in her eyes which gets Apollo to do the same unintentionally. Sigyn gulps air into her lungs which feel right at the moment. Her eyelids are fluttering and she can't find her voice. She knows what's coming: those rehearsed deep breaths, the flood of questions, and some bizarre type of relief because all ends will be tied. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she lied again to their faces. She couldn't do that anymore because it shows how scared she is of the truth, especially after her recent errors - all the chaos and remorse - even if you can't fully get rid of your demons.

"Sigyn, I - " Apollo clears his throat. "- you lied to me."

Sigyn heaves a breath. "I do not want to lie to you anymore but I also do not want to tell you the truth because the truth is what got us in this situation in the first place."

"You said that you were trying to protect me, that you were doing the right thing."

"Falling apart did not make you weak. A strong heart is fully capable of breaking. You are not weak for needing time or space to heal but, Apollo, you became so scared of dying that you became scared of living. I lied in the form of false memories. I recreated disaster and chaos by censoring what I did not want coming out."

Apollo shakes his head a little. "Why did you do that?"

"Selfishness. So much of my own life is out of my control so I decided to do what I wanted to. That entire scene was a realization of my worse fears that my over-anxious mind had projected as a coping mechanism. In my head, I concocted a plan that was so beautiful in its simplicity."

Sigyn knows that this is the part where she has to start explaining it all not only Apollo, but Thor and Jane, and her friends. Her friends back out in case of privacy and if Sigyn has access to her hands, which she forgot she didn't have for a slim second, she would've stopped them with a gesture. If she was going to tell the truth, they should tell all of it.

"I need you all to stay here so I only need to say this once," Sigyn says and they all stay. She glances at her cousin. "Apollo, you will have to help me with this."

Apollo hesitantly and slowly nods his head. "Where do we start?"

"Asgard. Seven years ago..."

* * *

 **And that concludes the chapters I'm going to be publishing for the summer. As of right now, I am going on a hiatus for who knows how long because of other stories and the start of university. Don't be alarmed, THIS STORY WILL DEFINITELY BE CONTINUED!**

 **Besides, you have to find out what happened in Asgard...**


	113. What Happened in Asgard: Part One

**I DO NOT CARE ABOUT EXAMS AT THE MOMENT, THIS IN IN HONOR OF THE RELEASE OF THE AVENGERS 4 TRAILER!**

 **This arc was probably the hardest one to plan and write to date (even though there is one in the future that will actually kill me).**

 **Most of all, this arc was first planned to be ten parts and now, it's SEVENTEEN!**

 **And now, you will finally know what happened in Asgard for the past seven years. Please be aware of the time headings at the start of each chapter and know that seven years ago would be around the time when Emily and Sigyn's individual stories ended, and Sigyn and Apollo would've just arrived in Asgard after their high school graduation.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Thirteen: What Happened in Asgard Part One

 _Vanaheim - Seven Years Ago_

Sigyn stands right in the middle of Vanaheim grounds, seeing the battle happening between Vanaheim's forces against her own. She turns around and sees a soldier heading her way with full force. Sigyn tilts her head a little as she watches him, pushing back a lock of her hair that fell over when she looked over. She winks at him just as his mace stabs right through her phasing body. As Sigyn dissipates into a blur of her own magic, Freya lunges from the other side and impales him with her sword.

Freya looks over her shoulder and sees the real Sigyn just a foot away from her fighting with her magic. They're the only two Asgardians here against a whole load of Vanaheim soldiers. Saying they're out-numbered is an understatement.

Sigyn holds out her hands and as they both glow with magic, so do two of the soldiers in front of her. She balls her hands into fists and throws them at her side, causing the soldiers to go flying. When she sees a group of them coming her way, she makes her glowing hands form a sphere that she thrusts at them, making them trapped in a vault of her deadly magic.

Freya lunges at another soldier and their swords meet, clash; the sound of metal against metal shrieks their ears. They draw apart, blades sparking, and when he attacks again from above, Freya crouches down and holds her arms crossed above her head to block herself. Freya kicks forwards, knocking over the soldier in front of her. She takes his sword and whips it in the other direction. Sigyn fires a portal for it to fly through and it flies out of another one just across from them, slicing another soldier.

"Give me a boost!" Freya exclaims as she starts running in Sigyn's direction.

Sigyn cups her hands together without magic and crouches forwards. Freya steps up and climbs onto Sigyn's grip, launching herself into the air. Mid-flight, Freya holds her sword up high. Sigyn traces the outline of Freya's sword with her magic and when her weapon stabs the ground, it emits a growing force of Sigyn's power that annihilates any of Vanaheim's soldiers coming their way.

Once that calms down, Freya stands up beside a monolith and Sigyn phases beside her. They both glance at one another and Freya inserts her sword back in the carrier around her waist. It's silent all around them, except for the sound of their own heavy breathing.

"Well, let's complete this task and call it a day," Sigyn says with a bright smile. She stretches her arms behind her and bunches her hair into a bun. As she goes to tie it with her magic, she hears Freya taking out her sword again. Sigyn turns back, letting her golden locks fall back down.

Another flood of Vanaheim's forces is coming for them.

"Get the artifact," Sigyn tells Freya, stepping in front of her.

Freya nods. Sigyn warms up her hands with her magic and is about to extend it upwards to make a wall, but stops herself when she notices it getting darker in the realm. Sigyn looks up and sees the clouds swirling. Then, she and Freya shake their heads disgracefully as they step back to make room for the aftermath of the sparking lightning. As the following thunder roars, a portal shoots down from the sky, its wind blowing Sigyn's and Freya's hairs back. Then, as expected by both of them, Apollo shoots down and lands on the ground, fully-armoured with his axe in his hand. He glances at the approaching army and shrugs before turning around and seeing Sigyn and Freya giving him deadpanned and unamused expressions.

"You need help?" Apollo asks with a gleeful grin on his face.

"Leave your axe to the landscaping," Freya tells him.

"Your father sent us on a girl's trip which you were not invited to so go home," Sigyn says in more of an orderly fashion.

"Too bad," Apollo says as he turns back to the approaching army and starts to wind up his axe.

Sigyn watches her cousin and a mischievous idea blinks in her head, making itself evident on her face. Noticing this, Freya takes a step to the side. Before Apollo could unleash his power towards Vanaheim's soldiers, Sigyn makes a portal in front of him with one hand and uses her other to cast her forceful magic towards him so that he'll fall into it. Apollo reappears out of another portal just above the army and Sigyn roars with laughter. Freya joins in with her as they go to take care of them.

"Not cool!" Apollo exclaims as he continues to get trampled, preventing him from getting back on his feet.

"Should've been watching your back!" Freya yells back with a small laugh in his voice.

"I recommend that you stand down, Freya! This is a family matter!"

"Can't hear you!"

Apollo replies, but the sound of growing battle blocks him out.

Sigyn puts her magic in her pocket and cracks her knuckles. She rolls back her shoulders and starts fighting with her fists. She may have magic but she also has muscle in her sleeves. She grabs the arm of one Vanaheim soldier and throws him over her shoulder as if he weighed nothing. But to her surprise, she suddenly gets knocked over to the ground. Sigyn rolls onto her back and sees a lightning bolt fry whoever sent her down before seeing Apollo extend his free hand out for her to take.

Sigyn accepts his gesture but notices his grip being too tight for a normal pick-up. That's because he wasn't helping her back onto her feet. He mimics what she did to that soldier and throws her right towards a brigade, sending all of them down in one swoop. Sigyn groans in annoyance as she stands back up to the sound of Apollo's hearty laughter. So much for getting his help...

"What a team we are," he beams happily. "This girl's trip is more fun than I thought."

Sigyn takes out her magic and blasts it at him.

"Don't forget that we are on an actual mission and not a sparring session," Freya reminds them as she kicks over a load of soldiers.

"Then, let's stop playing around," Sigyn says as she holds up her hands, creating a shielding dome around herself and Freya.

From outside the dome, Apollo slightly looks offended. "Well, that's rude."

"I like her _way_ more than you."

"Fair enough."

Apollo winds up his axe again, allowing his elements to simmer to a boil and once he points it up to the sky, lightning strikes which gives him more power than he needs. He slams his axe on the ground and the earth tears apart, sending the army flying in chaos to the sound of thunder. Sigyn grunts as she holds her forcefield in place. (Despite her being the most powerful in all the realms, Apollo is the only one who could _truly_ challenge her power). Freya even hesitates on holding up the gauntlets on her forearms for extra protection.

Once everything settles, Sigyn finally lowers her arms and exhales. She along with Freya and Apollo look at the mess they (mostly Apollo) created and can safely say that the mission was successful so far.

Freya hitches her swords onto her hip again as she begins to hike up the destruction towards a monolith that survived the storm. She traces it with her fingertips, outlining the snake engravings carved in it. Apollo looks over and follows and on his way, Sigyn mocks his stance and flicks some magic at him. It shocks Apollo and he glares at her as she laughs.

"Thor sent us on a retrieval mission," Freya explains to Apollo.

"Your father didn't want to waste your _superior abilities_ on such a mundane task," Sigyn adds just to sarcastically flatter him.

Apollo rolls his eyes at her. "What did he want you to get?"

Freya shrugs. "An artifact of some sorts."

"That's vague."

Sigyn points at the monolith. "He said that we would know where it is when we find it."

Apollo readjusts the position of his axe in his hand, getting ready to blast the monolith and Sigyn holds her hand out to stop him.

"Now I know why Thor didn't invite you," Sigyn states. "He wanted the artifact as a whole and not an arts-and-crafts project. Leave your lightning for the battlefield."

Sigyn holds her hands out, palms facing the monolith. She closes her eyes as they light up with magic.

"I want to be surprised at what it is," Sigyn whispers to them.

Apollo and Freya leave their eyes open because they have a general understanding that the artifact may not be friendly. They watch as Sigyn turns her hands and making them ready to cup something. Then, the artifact morphs into her hand. Sigyn opens her eyes and looks at the artifact, feeling Apollo and Freya looking over her shoulders so they could see as well.

It's a dark, muddy green circular crown. Its design looks like it's made of stone and made to look like one snake that is so big that it braided its own body on itself, similar to the monolith's engravings. Sigyn holds it up higher, this time gripping the crown at its sides with both her hands - noticing that the snake is more like a serpent with additional arms against its body and its face is the centrepiece which has its mouth opened and fangs out for display. She tilts the crown around, waiting for something to happen but nothing comes. It was ugly so maybe it had some value.

"Why would my father want gaudy jewelry?" Apollo asks.

"Vanaheim is the realm of future-telling," Freya says, "maybe it holds a prophecy."

Sigyn feels a spark inside of her light up as the magic in her fingers tingles. She's now intrigued mostly because she already has a prophecy of her own. That, and she and Apollo had that promise with one another to find a way out of their fates. _Maybe the crown will tell them the answers..._

"Shall we see what the crown says?" Sigyn asks just for show since she didn't need their permission. She licks her upper lip in temptation.

Before Apollo or Freya could stop her, she puts the crown on top of her head. And for a moment, nothing happens. Then, almost like a glitch, Sigyn's breathing hitches and she bends over in pain, keeping her grip on her head or mostly the crown. Freya and Apollo ready their weapons in the last case scenario where they would have to use them.

"Sigyn, take the crown off!" Apollo yells.

Sigyn suddenly stops wrenching in pain. She rises up to face them and her eyes are opaquely white.

"Let's get it off of her," Freya demands.

They both charge at Sigyn with their weapons but Sigyn screams, opening her arms and emitting a bright white light that blasts them back. They both fall on the ground and have to roll over to shield their eyes from its intensity. That was not her magic at all. Freya helps Apollo up and the light is so bright that she's tearing up. Apollo's chest caves in and he suddenly can't breathe.

"Go and do what you have to do to get the crown off of her," he says to her in one exhale. "You will do no harm to her."

Freya looks at him and nods. Then, she looks forwards at her. "Sigyn!"

Freya flips her sword in her hand, holding it by the pointed blade instead of its handle. She charges over and uses her weapon to knock the crown right off her head, making the light disappear. The crown rolls on the ground one way and Sigyn falls the other. Apollo runs over and checks on Sigyn as Freya flips her sword back around to slide the crown onto the blade as a means to hold it. Apollo checks Sigyn's shut eyes by stretching one open, happy to see that they're back to the normal greens state with a pupil rather than the solid white form.

"How is she?" Freya asks.

"Just unconscious," Apollo replies, "possibly concussed."

"That was probably my doing," Freya mutters.

Apollo takes a breath to calm down. "Why did my father send you both here? Why did he want this? What _is_ that?"

Apollo points at the crown on Freya's sword. She spins it around so they could look at it from every angle again. That doesn't answer any of their questions.

"I think Sigyn saw a vision of some sorts and the crown did not want us to interrupt," Freya guesses.

"What could she have seen?" Apollo wonders. "Maybe a prophecy of some sorts?"

Freya ushers her sword forward. "Do you want to put on the crown?"

Apollo looks at the crown for a moment, actually considering to put it on himself, and then he remembers Sigyn's state and stops himself.

"No," he firmly states, "Sigyn will tell us what she saw."

"Are you sure?" Freya asks. "I am not doubting my trust in Sigyn but the power of a true secret is that nobody knows it. And look at what happened to her? Look at how protected the crown was. Information can be just as powerful as armies and remember the fight we had to get it?"

Apollo stands up, picking up Sigyn and keeping his eyes on Freya. He shakes his head, keeping his full belief that Sigyn will tell them everything she saw. She's had a past with secrets but if it was something so potent and dangerous, then she had to tell. The last secret she had possibly as serious was her true fate of being killed by Apollo.

"We'll discuss this later," Apollo says, "with my parents. As of right now with Sigyn unconscious, we do not have a ride home."

Freya looks up to the sky. "Heimdall! Send us back!"

And at a seconds notice, the Bifrost's portal shoots down at them.

* * *

 **I am still on hiatus but do note that I have this entire arc completed. I just don't have the time to proofread and edit chapters to publish them.**

 **Remember The Serpent Crown from the earlier chapters? That's important. If you thought that this chapter aka part one was intense, then you are surely in for the ride as this arc continues.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- What did the Serpent crown show Sigyn? And will she reveal everything she saw?**


	114. What Happened in Asgard: Part Two

**After all these Asgard chapters, I have decided to revamp Apollo's birth story - _A Good King Goes To War_. As of right now, the revamping process has started.**

 **Also, I have an _Avengers Endgame_ prequel out now - _Luminous Hope_.**

 ** _(_** ** _Not Really A) Fun Fact_ \- I picked the crown to be in Vanaheim because I only know the names of five realms - Midgard, Asgard, Jotunheim, Hel, and Vanaheim - when I first planned this arc. And it just happened to be that Vanaheim is the future-telling realm.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After the discovery of an artifact in Vanaheim caused Sigyn to lose control of herself and fall unconscious, they all returned to Asgard.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Fourteen: What Happened in Asgard Part Two

 _Asgard - Seven Years Ago_

After running across the Bifrost and entering the palace, Apollo gently puts Sigyn on the ground beside his axe as he starts running forwards and yelling for his parents. Sigyn starts to come back to consciousness, her blurry vision seeing her reflection on Freya's calf armor. A part of her feels scared waking up to her own reflection. She teeters her head upwards, squinting her eyes tighter as the lights get brighter. She sees the crown they found in the monolith on Freya's sword and a concerned look on her face as Freya kneels down beside her.

"Where are we?" Sigyn asks her.

"Back in the palace," Freya responds softly, checking Sigyn's face for any other physically evident traumas.

"My head feels like it exploded."

"Sorry about that."

"It wasn't because of you...for the most part"

Freya turns around and sees Apollo coming back with his parents trailing. She stands up and takes a step back, letting Apollo and his parents approach Sigyn. When Apollo and Sigyn lock eyes, she sees his look of pure parent-like concern and all she can react from is current flashbacks of what the crown showed her in a vision. Suddenly, she acts as if she's having a seizure just by looking at Apollo, constantly trying to breathe and scream at the same time all while scooting back on her arms. Apollo immediately stops in his spot as Jane quickly throws herself on the ground to try and calm her down. Almost immediately, Sigyn locks onto Jane and starts sobbing into her shoulder. Apollo stares at his mother and his cousin, feeling helpless. He looks over and sees his father talking with Freya, examining the crown they found but leaving it on her sword so they won't touch it.

"We got the crown from this monolith and Sigyn put it on," Freya explains to him. "Then, it was like the crown possessed her, showing her a vision. It radiated this bright white light but when Apollo and I finally got it off of her, she passed out."

Thor looks at the crown for another second before giving Freya her sword back. He walks over to Sigyn and Jane, picking Sigyn back up on her feet like she was his own child. The haunted look on her face plagues him as if he were seeing it on Apollo.

"Sigyn, look at me," Thor says gently, holding her head up so that her eyes lock with his. "You have to tell me what you saw."

"The crown showed me nothing."

"Lies. You nearly exploded and fell unconscious."

"It took all my energy at once and then Freya hit me."

"…I am more than sure that you are hiding what you saw. Sigyn, you have to tell me."

Sigyn looks away from Thor and everyone else, lowering her head a little. Tears start forming in her eyes at what she saw when she put on the crown. She wants to keep it inside of her because she knows that she will explode for real and so will everyone else.

"Just one word," Thor urges. "Please."

Apollo knows that truth is simple and singular because lies are just a mess of words constructed together to make sense. This is how he knows that she's going to be honest about what she saw. It would be impossible to summarize a lie in just one word.

Sigyn looks up at Thor and one tear falls down her face, stopping at the ridge where Thor's hand is holding the base of her head. She keeps quiet for a few more seconds before letting out what she saw in just one word:

"Ragnarök."

Thor suddenly shudders and his grasp on her unintentionally loosens even though he knows that Sigyn has nothing to do with what she saw except for saying it. He looks at Jane and sees her arms wrapped around herself in fear. The only ones who are genuinely confused right now are Apollo and Freya. They look at each other and subtly shrug.

"What is Ragnarök?" Apollo asks.

"The end," Thor says solemnly, having the same distant look in his eye that Sigyn had earlier. "The end of man and the end of gods and goddesses. It is a complex series of events that have been planned out since the beginning of our world. I had no idea the Serpent Crown - which is what is on Freya's sword - was going to show that. It could only mean that our generation is involved in some way - or yours, for that matter." He looks at Sigyn. "What specifics did you see?"

"How to win," Sigyn responds.

Thor lightens up a little, hopeful about that sight. "How?"

Sigyn swallows. "Apollo - Apollo kills me."

All hope is lost in the room. Everyone is silent once again, looking at Sigyn doubtfully but the pained expression on her face says that she saw that.

"That is not true," Apollo says, feeling like a ticking time bomb. "Those are just words."

"It's true," Sign confirms.

"Vanaheim is the future-telling realm," Freya reminds him.

"Don't side with her!" He yells at Freya. "It could be a fake artifact, a ruse one filled with lies that will only distract us from something of a greater threat."

"Greater than Ragnarök?"

Apollo nods. "How can Fate expect me to kill Sigyn and then that somehow prevents Ragnarök from taking its full potential?! It makes no sense!" Apollo looks at Sigyn. "You better not be lying…"

Sigyn sighs. "I wish I was."

"No, you're lying. I know you are. You've known your fate for so long and wouldn't be this silent unless something else much grander was at stake. What else happens at _Ragnarök_ according to the Serpent Crown?

"It's our future. I do not know _all_ the details, but there was a battle. A final battle. We both die."

Apollo shakes his head in disbelief again. "That will not happen."

"But we win, Apollo." Sigyn smiles a little which surprises everyone, especially him. "The world ends and then it begins again. It's our fates and it will never change. Our destinies are forever intertwined like the crown." She grabs his hands and for a second, her eyes spark brighter. "It will hurt you so much, but you need to be strong and do this."

Apollo says nothing. Learning about his death just took all the air out of him.

Sigyn scoffs a little. "Your silence is stronger than the thunder you summon. Life isn't meant to be lived alone. Two of us dying does not seem so lonely. If we're going to die, might as well do it together. Welcome to the club of young people knowing how they die."

Sigyn laughs like a maniac until Thor and Jane shush her; the news of Apollo's apparent death at Ragnarök being a fright to them as well, even Freya for that matter. Apollo is now the one who looks completely horrified and for some reason, Sigyn is no longer seeming paralyzed in her own tears like she was just moments ago.

"Thor, is - is Sigyn right about the crown?" Jane asks with a shaky voice. "Is Ragnarök really coming and do both of them die for us to win?"

"I am not sure," Thor admits, "I have only heard of Ragnarök's existence, not the full story. I only asked for them to retrieve the crown - "

Sigyn cuts him off. "Why send me to get it with Freya and not Apollo? Or simply just Apollo and Freya? Didn't want your _little boy_ to see his _death_."

"Sigyn, stop," Apollo commands.

"Why? You all were so interested in me talking about it just seconds ago."

"You are becoming your mother, wanting me to kill you."

Sigyn is taken aback for a moment before her brows furrow together. "Excuse me?"

"All of this is Amora reminding us that we belong to her, to Fate. We are nothing but pawns in her game and maybe this concept of Ragnarök is a part of it all. We made a promise to each other to escape our fates right before we left Midgard and now you're saying we can't? This is her doing even though she's no longer around."

Sigyn simmers up. "How _dare_ you?! Do not bring Amora into this! She is dead. We were both there when I killed her!"

"That is enough!" Jane exclaims, putting her hands out in front of Sigyn and Apollo in case they were to start hitting each other.

"Freya," Thor says, "bring The Serpent Crown to Odin's Treasury and lock it up."

Freya nods in obedience and turns on her heel to start heading over there but to her surprise, Apollo stops her by grabbing her sword directly by the blade. He cuts his hand but doesn't care because he has the crown. Apollo throws the crown at the nearest wall with all of his strength and anger in hopes to break it but the moment it hits the wall, it lands on the ground with not a single crack.

Once the crown is calm, Freya goes to pick it up but stops when a spotlight similar to when Sigyn put the crown on but to a lesser extent emerges from the round of the crown followed by a growing fog where the crown is. Suddenly, three goddesses appear in the light, taking one step out in sync and standing before them. The three goddesses are taller than all of them, each with the same boldness, icy skin, cloudy hair, and deep yet piercing eyes. They are gorgeous but unsettling all at the same time.

"They're the ones I saw in the crown…" Sigyn mutters almost inaudibly. "They're the ones who showed and explained everything to me. Who are they?"

"We," the middle goddess responds with her echoing voice, "dear child, are the Norn Runes."

* * *

 **Who would've ever thought I would include the Norn Runes? I certainly didn't.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- What do the Norns have to say about what Sigyn saw?**


	115. What Happened in Asgard: Part Three

**"** **Is MysteryGal5** ** _really_** **going to do a Ragnarök arc?" Yes, I am.  
** **"Is she going to be copying the movie?" Not at all. I had this idea in mind before the movie was a thing. And it's going to be completely different.  
"Will the arc be as amazing as the movie?" Probably not because I am not the wonderful Taika.**

 **Nobody asked these but I felt the need to answer them. And for the one reviewer who mentioned Magnus Chase, his book series was where I got some information.**

 _ **Recap**_ **\- Apollo tried to destroy The Serpent Crown, the Norn Runes emerged from it.**

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Fifteen: What Happened in Asgard Part Three

 _Asgard - Seven Years Ago_

"What the hell is a Norn?" Sigyn asks in shock, unable to take her eyes off of them.

Thor, Jane, Freya, and Apollo bow their heads in respect for the Norns and Sigyn is still staring at them as if she had a spell cast on her. They were just so mesmerizing.

The middle Norn shifts her posture, making her look softer. Still, she seemed intimidating. They all did. They made Thor look approachable.

"I am the Present Norn," she announces. "I dictate the events happening right now. To my left is the Past and my right the Future. Together, we are the ones in charge of Fate."

Instantly, it was like something inside of Sigyn snapped the moment she learned that the being(s) who created the concept of Fate is standing right before her. The ones who made the rule that she is destined to be killed by her cousin is right in front of her. She can finally look them right in the eyes.

"Why have you cursed me?!" Sigyn screams at them.

"It's all a part of the end," Present tells them.

"What do you mean?" Thor asks them, taking a step forwards to be closer to them but Jane keeps her grip on his arm for her own stability. "Does Ragnarök really involve Sigyn and Apollo's deaths in order to win."

Everyone in the room, aside from the Norns, hopes to hear that everything Sigyn was saying she saw in the Serpent Crown was false. But given that the Norns came out of the crown, the answer isn't working in their favour. They have that sour feeling in their gut that they're not going to like what the hear next.

"The prophecy is true," Present states. "The final battle of Ragnarök will change everything. Gods and monsters will fight and a new world will be born."

"The final battle has been planned for a long, long time," Past continues. "For centuries, the gods have worked together and stayed together just to make sure it is planned for every detail."

"But this battle will be different than anything you have fought in before," Future adds. "Hela and her troop of the dishonourable dead will rise and make their conquest to clean the realms of its filth. Then, the mighty Midgard Serpent will emerge from the seas and feast on its realm all while Asgard and its Bifrost will be set to flames."

"Midgard Serpent?" Freya questions. Nobody liked the sound of that, especially due to all the people there and most important, the ones they love in their realms.

"Dating back to the creation of Midgard, the ocean is occupied by a huge sea serpent placed by Hela herself, The Midgard Serpent," Present explains. "It is so large that it encircles the entire realm multiple times, being braided amongst itself and biting on its own tail."

Apollo suddenly feels sick to his stomach, cold, and out of breath. To think that the end of the world was right at the core of where he has been living his whole life, waiting and waiting for the right moment before eating the entire realm.

"There can only be one champion who will win Ragnarök on our behalf, defeat the Midgard Serpent, and save the realms from destruction," Future says.

"We have chosen our champion long ago," Past declares.

"And our champion will slay the gliding and coiling Midgard Serpent on that day," Future says.

"Our champion is the brave Prince Apollo Foster of Asgard, son of Thor," Present states.

The three Norns are the only ones applauding for him.

Those were the words he didn't want to hear, especially the word _brave_. Brave. Brave's people's legs don't shake. Brave people don't feel like puking. Brave people don't have to remind themselves to breathe. He looks up at everyone else as the Norns keep on talking with their words not processing through his ears. His mother is horrified, his father is stunned (and not proud which is what Apollo expected - probably the death concept that Sigyn mentioned is preventing that), Freya is shocked, and Sigyn nods her head in acceptance. She's the one who already saw this through The Serpent Crown.

"Apollo will fight the Midgard Serpent," Future states, "he will defeat it."

"But there are two costs," Present says, not showing any emotion towards this conversation going downwards. This, out of everything, will certainly be the most dreaded part of the entire prophecy. "The fate of Sigyn Lokisdottir must be answered if not done so already and in order for Apollo to defeat the Midgard Serpent and end Ragnarök before it would be too late, he will be consumed by the Serpent. That will be how he perishes."

"Told you so," Sigyn says, not seeming as haunted as everyone else does. "We both die."

Jane immediately shakes her head, tears forming in her eyes. "No, no that can't be. I don't believe you."

"It doesn't matter what you don't believe," Present says.

"It will happen," Future adds as a confirmation.

"When?" Thor asks, to get more information before their emotions get the best of them.

"When you are least prepared," Present responds.

"Ragnarök will come and try to destroy us all," Future says. "You will never know when it comes because it will depend on our champion to let the battle begin."

Apollo can't stand any of this, especially since he is apparently responsible for starting and ending Ragnarök. "No. Cancel Ragnarök. You made it so stop it! You cannot make me start it, kill my cousin, and then die!"

"It is too late for a rewrite," Present says with no remorse in her voice.

"No, it's not!"

"There has to be another way," Thor bargains in desperation, not wanting to anger the Norns with Apollo's declarations.

"The power to crush The Midgard Serpent lives inside of him."

She cranes a graceful arm towards Apollo and to his surprise, a smile approaches on her face as she beams at him. Despite her face looking beautiful, it was utterly terrifying to him. Before him are the creators of Ragnarök and they picked him to be the starter, champion, and ender of it. _How did that work?_

Sigyn looks at the Future Norn. "What can we do?"

"You will be fine at the end, Lokisdottir," Future says vaguely.

"Don't you dare tell us that!" Apollo exclaims. "We will be dead! I demand an explanation for all of this!"

"We only speak the truth," Present says. "Perhaps you are not ready to hear it."

"You never will be," Future admits. "When the details of one's destiny is revealed, they will shatter."

Apollo hesitates. "Try me."

Future takes a few steps, heading straight towards Apollo and his heart stops as he shudders back. Future's eyes are empty yet deep at the same time, containing no information yet all of it at the same time. She never loses eye contact with him, not even by a single blink.

"Your screams will turn into pitch, your dust to burning sulphur;" Future starts with a grim tone. "The land you will walk will become a blazing territory. It will not be quenched until the battle is done; nothing will rest until all is lost. You will die in battle just as a true warrior should. You are the God for this, Apollo Foster. Nobody is as good as you."

"Nothing is honourable about that!" Apollo exclaims.

"You, Son of Thor, are always listening but never understanding, seeing but never perceiving," Present tells him. "Your ears are dull as your eyes are closed. Understand with your calloused heart and turn to be healed. The sons and daughters of gods and goddesses who refuse to accept their destiny often lose their minds."

"Sigyn did," Past points out. There was no arguing about that. The moment Sigyn found out that her cousin was destined to kill her, she went insane and still is mad.

Apollo shakes his head. "…you are only an oracle. You have my life in your control and yet you choose to still speak to me in riddles."

"Apollo," Jane scolds.

"You have a duty," Present says to Apollo as Future backs up to being beside the other Norns, "Not only to Ragnarök but to the Realms and people you vow to protect. Think about that before you make your decisions."

Before Apollo or anyone could get another word in, the Norns vanish. The Serpent Crown is nothing but a relic left on the ground and Apollo exhales shakily, not fully believing or understanding what just happened and what he was just told. It all sounds like fiction to him but it was ironically too scary to have been false.

"Maybe if you calmed down and stopped being so rude, they would've given you the answer to their easy-to-solve riddles," Sigyn says with a small eye roll.

He says nothing to her snarky retort or action. Apollo, at Sigyn's side, does not fidget. His face is impassive, Sigyn's expectant. However, his calmness only unsettles Sigyn even more only because he was so close to throwing his axe at the Norns. His parents are uneasy, trying to keep themselves properly in front of the Norns so they could properly take in what they were being told. Freya, on-the-other-hand, is holding back her urge to panic.

Apollo is always calm, always cool, always brave. But it's like his eyes are starting to melt into a puddle or into a fire even bigger than when he learned that he will kill Sigyn straight from her own mouth. _He is scared_. She has never seen him this terrified of anything which kind of intrigues her.

"They can't just make a comment about imminent death and just leave!" Apollo yells, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, they just did!" Sigyn exclaims, laughing a little.

"If we could get them back, we will," Jane says to Apollo softly. "Apollo, your father and I will schedule urgent meetings with our allies in the neighbouring realms to try and see if they know anything." She then takes her husband's arm worriedly. "Tell me that I'm dreaming, Thor, that this is all a nightmare and I'll wake up soon and find out that none of this really happened. Our son…destined to die just like Sigyn for the sake of the Realms?! Why him?!"

"I do not know," Thor says, keeping his eyes on the Serpent Crown. He goes over and picks it up, immediately passing it to Freya. "Put this in the treasury."

Freya nods, taking the crown and not questioning it because of Thor's serious tone. She starts heading over and this time, Apollo doesn't stop her. He doesn't start talking again until Freya and the Serpent Crown are completely out of sight.

"That crown has no value," Apollo says bitterly, still looking at where he last saw Freya before she turned at the end of the hallway, "it should not go in there."

"It is worth too much to lose," Thor responds, putting a hand on Apollo's shoulder.

Apollo shakes it off and looks at his father feeling purely offended. "So The Serpent Crown is worth having your only son to die?!"

"Do not say that! It's not like that at all!"

"My entire life is a lie!"

"It is not a lie, it's just more complicated than we realized."

Apollo shrugs apathetically. "So let's prepare for it. The Midgard Serpent is simply a monster to be vanquished. The Norns also said themselves that it will come when we are least prepared so if we train ourselves to stop Ragnarök, then it will never come. Their plan has a flaw. There are always flaws and loopholes that we can work our way around."

"Their only flaw was picking you as a champion," Sigyn tells him.

Apollo's dynamic changes as he turns to face her. " _Excuse me?_ "

"Fate chose _you_ over everyone in all the realms past, present, and future to be its champion and savior," Sigyn argues, squaring him with her eyes. "And you want to rebel against that? To survive is to be selfish. Does that not mean anything to you?!"

"I cannot do this."

"Hey! You think you're the only one dying at Ragnarök? Look, we're in this together and we have to options - let it consume us or face it."

"I get consumed either way!"

Jane cuts in the middle of them. "Alright, you two, that is enough!"

"Why can we not have our futures in our own hands?!" Apollo exclaims rhetorically since he knows that nobody is able to answer him. "Why can we not control our own lives?! This is not fair!"

Jane puts her hands on his arms. "Apollo, you have to calm down. You being angry isn't helping anyone."

Apollo throws her arms off of him. "You cannot be serious?! My life is on the line!"

"Do _not_ raise your voice at me!"

Sigyn sucks in her breath, holding back a bit of laughter at Jane's sudden and unexpected outburst as Apollo mumbles an apology to her. To think that the tension between them is already so thick and they only knew about Ragnarök for such a short amount of time. How much worse when the day actually comes?

Thor exhales. "Alright, we will see to this later. Ragnarök is actually much more complex than what the Norns revealed. We're worried about your fates when the future of the Realms is in the balance."

Sigyn feels a grin break over her face as she excuses herself. "Destiny is waiting…" she sings as she flutters further into the palace with nobody following her trail.

-o-

Sigyn ended up going to her father's prison cell to fill him in on everything starting from Vanaheim to the Serpent Crown, to the Norns and ending with Ragnarök. She just felt the need to air it out to someone who wasn't there and hopefully won't have any biases and definitely won't judge her for saying the whole thing with a small smile since his face is just his neutral uninterested poker face.

"Well, that's unfortunate," Loki says with a small shrug as he takes a seat on the lavish chair in his prison cell. "Who dies?"

"Apollo and I," Sigyn replies, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "Or maybe everyone in all the Realms if Apollo doesn't do the right thing and jump into the Serpent's mouth." She snickers to herself. "Death is prophesied in my name, that of a sorceress whose life will be taken by Ragnarök's champion."

"Once the Norns tell you something, it's the equivalent of words written in stone," Loki says.

"Apollo seems to want to strike that rock which I don't understand since it's sometimes better - or more honourable - to die on the battlefield than return a disappointment. Well, he technically won't have anything to return to. I see the fight in his eyes. Surviving matters more to him than sacrificing, even if he's sacrificing himself for _everyone else in all the Realms_. Maybe Apollo would be fine with Ragnarök if he didn't have to kill me or more importantly, be eaten by a giant snake. Valhalla sounds amazing, does he not know that?"

Loki laughs. "Sigyn, dear, that is not how it works. You and Apollo would _not_ be going to Valhalla."

Sigyn straightens up a bit. "What do you mean? Valhalla is the realm of the afterlife for warriors who die an honourable death in battle."

"To go to Valhalla, your death has to be unplanned and selfless, spontaneous. Only Asgardians who have _won_ the right to an afterlife in Valhalla belong there. Those are the ones who die gloriously in battle, proving their courage and heart. Your deaths, no matter how noble, are planned. Theoretically, you and Apollo _have_ to die at Ragnarök. _"_

Sigyn is completely speechless because knowing that they wouldn't be going to Valhalla kind of changes the way she feels about this. Now, she has a better understanding as to why Apollo is against it: for the sake of his pride, having the way he dies written down - even if he saves the world - and not going to a paradise afterwards is not rewarding. What scares her about that is how Loki didn't seem to worry that his only daughter's death - something he tried so hard to avoid - now had a vague scheduled date.

Loki continues to laugh at her shattered ignorance. "That is why Apollo freaked out the way he did. You will both be in Hel."

* * *

 **Remember when Sigyn had her first arc took place in Hel? Or if you read my in-process-revamp of Apollo's birth story, it now takes place in Hel.**

 **I'm going out of town for the holidays so just in case I don't update for a while: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**

 ** _Stay Tuned_ \- We're time-jumping a bit but what happens if Apollo puts on The Serpent Crown to get a glimpse of Ragnarök?**


	116. What Happened in Asgard: Part Four

**Please be aware of the time jump. They will be present in every chapter in this arc from now on until the last few chapters.**

 ** _Recap_ \- After learning about Ragnarök and their fates, Apollo feels resistant to Ragnarök whereas Sigyn seems accepting of it.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Sixteen: What Happened in Asgard Part Four

 _Asgard - Six Years Ago_

Apollo wanders through the palace hallways heading towards Odin's Treasury. Once there, he welcomes himself in (one of the perks of being the prince and heir to Asgard) and closes the door behind him. He walks past the displays of miscellaneous artifacts and valuables, stopping right at the end of the row in front of the Serpent Crown.

For the past year, he only knew about Ragnarök and that he dies after killing Sigyn in order to save the Realms from complete obliteration. As the days went on, he kept on thinking about Ragnarök, about what details happen at it and what The Midgard Serpent is. If it was planned to the T back in the day, then he should have the right to see it. Besides, if he was apparently the starter of Ragnarök, he should at least see how to goes down so he could avoid it at all costs.

Apollo shakes the longer he stares at the Serpent Crown because it looks like it's staring back. He dreads wanting to go closer to the crown than he already is but he knows that Sigyn saw Ragnarök when she wore it and he doesn't want to talk to her about it. Apollo takes a quick yet deep breath to calm himself down as he takes the crown off its pedestal and puts it on his head.

For a moment, nothing happens but then he feels as if someone has taken out of Odin's Treasury in a blur and brought to a boiling hot land of fire. It's destruction, it's chaos. With every step he takes to try and gain any information he can about Ragnarök, he can only hear the Norns echo in his head. _"The land you walk will become a blazing territory."_

Apollo brushes past several flames, walking right through them because he knows that this is only a projection of what Ragnarök is. The old world burning so a new one could be born - that is if The Midgard Serpent doesn't eat it all up.

"Apollo…"

Apollo turns around and sees Sigyn emerging from the smoke. Her dress is covered in ash and her dress is torn, stained with blood that is most likely her own. Her face is tired, pained, and covered with soot. Her chest heaves heavily the closer she walks to him, her steps seem sluggish as if they are difficult for her. She seems drained.

But then, she smirks a little from the corner of her mouth which makes him feel uncomfortable.

"See you in Hel..." She mutters before falling over.

Apollo watches her fall and doesn't have to check if she's dead because he knows that she is. He's currently in a vision of Ragnarök after all and that is what the prophecy said was going to happen. Still, seeing her death brings tears to his eyes. It just felt so real.

Then, Apollo turns around and sees his death right before him and he almost drops down beside her. The Midgard Serpent: this larger-than-life snake-like creature with dark emerald scales. At its full size, Apollo looks like a mere speck. It opens its eyes which are glowing red spotlights with intense irises that burn Apollo's skin. The forehead is ridged and the snout is tapered.

The Midgard Serpent opens its mouth and hisses at him, droplets of its saliva hit Apollo's skin and corrode it. Its long and skinny tongue in a shade of pale pink drips an unknown poisonous substance. It bears out rows and rows of perfect, white, and sharpened teeth - ready to eat him right up.

Apollo screams - _"Your screams will turn to pitch"_ \- as The Midgard Serpent lunges right for him.

Apollo knocks the Serpent Crown off of his head and is back in Odin's Treasury. With the image of Sigyn's corpse and The Midgard Serpent now engrained into his mind, he knows that he cannot and will not go through with Ragnarök.

Apollo walks out of Odin's Treasury and attempts to go on with his day but he can't. Every time he blinks, he sees what the crown showed him. Every time he sees a light, he sees Ragnarök's flames. Every time he feels something nearby him move, he flinches at the possibility of it being The Midgard Serpent. All of that continuously winds up until he just stops and releases a guttural scream - _"Your screams will turn to pitch"_ \- and he slams his fist into a wall.

Apollo stops there, falling against said wall, pressing his forehead against the plaster. When his breathing becomes manageable and the horrors put at the back of his mind, he turns around and suddenly feels like he wants to cry from anger, vengeance, _desperation_.

He sees someone approaching him and for a moment, he thinks that it's Sigyn from the Ragnarök vision ready to drop dead in front of him, but it's his mother which makes him feel relieved. Lucky for him, she seems to have not seen anything that he did for the past five minutes.

"Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that it was scary, but then you found out that it was real the whole time?" Apollo asks her. "And even though you are well aware that it's real, you still can't process it as reality because it became a nightmare."

Jane smiles a little. "Basically my entire pregnancy with you..and for a bit after you were born."

Apollo stands up, his eyes never leaving her. "You cannot fathom how happy I am to see you - "

Jane nods and hugs her son as if he was a small child and stands on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead. Ever since they all found out about Ragnarök, he became used to this treatment. He wasn't treated like a prince or as Ragnarök's champion, but a child needing protection.

-o-

"Apollo is losing it," Jane says as she walks into her bedroom where Thor is already pacing back and forth. She fidgets with her sleeves as she waits for her husband to say something but when he remains silent, she continues the conversation. "I can't bear seeing the way he goes on. It's terrible. I'm a mother who can't do anything for his son. It reminds me of when he was born."

"Does he want me to replace him?" Thor asks randomly.

Jane looks at Thor, not sure if she heard what he said correctly. "…what?"

"Does he want someone to take his place?"

Jane did hear him right but she wishes she didn't. She looks up at Thor with puffy eyes, understanding why he would say such a thing but it still being painful to actually hear.

"Ever since I heard the message of the Norns, I have been searching for a flaw," Thor explains. "Sigyn saying that Apollo being the champion was a flaw got me thinking. I have been trying to figure out if someone else can take Apollo's place. Namely, me because I am his father and the current King of Asgard. I tried, but the prophecy says it has to be my son and the Norn did address him as the Prince. Even if I try, it will be trouble for his side - for _our_ side. I see the pain and horror on his face and I want to take it away from him."

Jane nods, wanting only the same for their son. Thor's gruff and intimidating exterior shielded a loyal and loving heart; his unfailing love. He would give his life to save Apollo's if he could.

-o-

Sigyn can't believe who she's seeing in the mirror. It's her but she doesn't really understand how it's her. Those green eyes and sharp bones in her face suggest a strong will, but her hollow cheeks indicate a will easily given up. It was so accurate but not at the same time. Sure, she doesn't want to fight against Ragnarök for the sake of the Realms, but she never really considered it as _giving up_.

She's been on Asgard for a year now and feels a dreamy nostalgia, a vague yearning for her long-lost life back on Midgard. She and Apollo only came to Asgard after graduation to expand their lives here, learn and become more with their Asgardian heritage. Maybe it was all a mistake because if they were back on Midgard with occasional visits to Asgard, they would've never known about Ragnarök and as of right now, that seems like the better option.

Sigyn sees Apollo coming her way and she runs up to him, ignoring how scared he seemed when he saw her. Maybe it was her coming out of nowhere that spooked him for a second.

"Hey, I have an idea," Sigyn says to him.

"What?" Apollo asks.

"I was thinking that because everything is so tense and serious here, maybe we could take a breather and go to Midgard to visit everyone."

Sigyn expects Apollo to be on board and running across the Bifrost, maybe even racing her there and the loser has to pay for whatever they decide to do on Midgard, but he looks appalled at that decision.

"No," he states.

Sigyn takes a moment to process that he actually declined her idea. "What? Did you just say _no_ to _Midgard_?"

"I am not going to Midgard. The _you know what_ is there."

"Well, they're our friends and not only do I miss them but they're living on top of a giant snake that will eat them and their families! We have to tell them! It's been a year since we saw them and if Ragnarök hasn't happened then or ever, then it won't happen now."

She can't help but wonder when was the last time she spoke to him normally. It was almost as if he forgot he had friends there - a _life_ there. He probably didn't even know that an entire year in early paranoia went by.

Apollo almost instinctively covers his ears at the mention of that. "No. The more we say it aloud, the truer it becomes. And if we go to Midgard, the Serpent might come out and make me start Ragnarök."

"That's ridiculous and it doesn't work like that. You're the one who makes The Serpent comes out. You've lived on Midgard your whole life! Your reckless driving should've started Ragnarök."

"Stop saying that!"

Sigyn realizes what's going on with him. He isn't even joking around with her. Ragnarök is really messing with his mind and for someone who wants to win by defeating the Midgard Serpent sure doesn't want to talk about it. She remembers the Norns saying that those who declined their destines often lost their minds and Apollo is currently being living proof of it. Sigyn knows why she isn't going haywire and also the real reason why Apollo wants to win.

"You coward," Sigyn spits at him. "You _goddamn_ coward. You just want to cut your losses. You do not care about the greater result of this! If we go forth with Ragnarök, we will be heroes."

"We are not heroes," Apollo says, "we're sacrifices."

"We cannot cheat a prophecy."

"We're not cheating, we're helping ourselves. I can't believe you're breaking the one promise we had with each other before leaving Midgard."

"That was before a giant snake came into the picture!"

"It's just a snake. What better display of strength and power is there than being able to do whatever we can during Ragnarök? Whatever power we have, it's potent. I can end Ragnarök and you are the most powerful sorceress in all the Realms. It means we are the strongest there is, that we are going to endure and survive. All we can do is try, Sigyn. That will make us conquer which will increase our chances at victory. Do you not want that?"

Apollo looks at her with a vigorous sparkle in his eyes that makes her feel queasy. If only Sigyn knew at this exact moment in time that this was the last time for six years that she ever saw an innocent hope in his eyes.

"We cannot fight against Ragnarök…" Sigyn whispers. "It is stronger and scarier than the both of us. Once Ragnarök comes, we will both die. That is the _only_ way we can win. We will become ashes and end up in Hel. If you cannot accept that, then there is something wrong with you being the champion. So is the way I am now _not_ fine? Tell me how I am not fine. What I can do, while I'm alive, is enjoy the time I have left and enjoy it all. I had that philosophy ever since I learned as a child that you were my demise. You should do the same and not doom the Realms for the sake of your pride."

"I will not allow you to die at my hand," Apollo argues. "I will not allow myself to die by The Midgard Serpent. Neither of us deserve to die. The Gods made Ragnarök and I am a god myself so therefore, I should be allowed to change it."

Sigyn sighs. "For a child of Thor, you think too much."

"And you, daughter of Loki, listen too little."

Sigyn claps her hands together once. "I hear you. You made _your_ choice. Tell yourself whatever version of Ragnarök you need to, Apollo, and we will all pay the price when you decide to start it."

"I do not want the same thing to happen to us, death. I will not cause pain to myself or to you."

Sigyn nods cheekily. "And in that order as well. You know, Apollo, there are billions and billions of other lives at stake here. What is to come will come. I will say no more because you know how I feel about this. We should _and have to_ do what the prophecy says. Do what you like - explode at me in the wildest rage you can muster. I am so glad to be a part of your tragic downfall, but let me tell you this: nobody wants a lunatic as a champion."

Apollo stares at Sigyn with furrowed brows, breathing heavily. Sigyn stands there with her arms crossed across her chest and a cocked eyebrow with one hip jutted out. She is waiting to see the best he can do since she knows that she did much more than strike a nerve. She looks into the eyes of the cousin she loves and sees nothing but pure unadulterated rage and sadly, she couldn't help but feel guilty on the inside because this all leads back to her. She has never seen him this livid before.

"You are banned from going to Midgard," Apollo grumbles clearly and angrily.

Sigyn is taken aback from not having seen that coming. "What?!"

"Effective immediately."

"You can't enforce that!"

"I am the prince and I just did."

Apollo storms away from her. Sigyn's mouth is left agape in disbelief of what just happened. She isn't sure whether to cry or scream, but her breathing is heavy and steamy. She watches Apollo walk away and has to hold back her fist from blasting magic at him. She grinds her teeth together. She isn't mad - no, she is angry, outraged. She wants to do nothing more than punch him in the face, and if he was lucky, his beard would cushion the impact.

-o-

This is only the start of what became their life for the years to come. Any life before the word _Ragnarök_ was ever declared is now nothing more than an elaborate dream.

The weight of shared grief can either bring people together or drive them apart because fear is so powerful that it can only take seconds for it to break you. Any situation that dehumanizes someone is asking for trouble. It plays to the worst of us. Despite Sigyn and Apollo having intertwined fates, this is wedged so far in between the two of them that they could barely have a conversation with one another that didn't result in arguing.

Ragnarök pushed Apollo too far to the edge and once he started to fall and cry for help, a demon - maybe The Midgard Serpent - crawled out of him only to pull him back up.

As for Sigyn, she tried to talk to Thor and Jane about Apollo's ban and they did nothing about it because they had the same impending fear of it being a catalyst for Ragnarök because Apollo would go to Midgard just to drag her back here. Besides, after some thought, what would Sigyn do if she saw everyone without Apollo? What would she tell them? That her cousin didn't come because he was afraid of a snake that's currently underground and will come to eat them at any time? That the Realms will burn because of his fear?

So she stayed on Asgard, as they told her to, and her life started to feel like an enveloping regime where she had no will or freedom to leave.

* * *

 **That answers the question as to why Apollo banned Sigyn from Midgard, and why the two of them were not seen or heard from in seven years.**

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **Now that Apollo has seen a glimpse of what will come at Ragnarök, how will that affect his state of mind? And how will Sigyn react to it?**


	117. What Happened in Asgard: Part Five

**I have a lot of these chapters banked but I keep forgetting to upload them. Anyways, Apollo's birth story ( _A Good King Goes to War_ ) is now fully revamped so go check it out because it compliments this arc greatly.**

 _ **Recap**_ **\- After Apollo banned Sigyn from Midgard, both Sigyn and Apollo started to feel the pressure of Ragnarök.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Seventeen: What Happened in Asgard Part Five

 _Asgard - Five Years Ago_

The Norns said that those who did not accept their destiny often lost their minds. Apollo was on a mission to try and stop Ragnarök and while doing that, he was growing in fear and absolute paranoia about the whole event. Sigyn, because she was down for being killed if it meant saving the world, was fine. Her only sadness stems from Apollo not cooperating and being proud and selfish, and because she started feeling trapped now more than ever before.

Sure, having her life written out for her was suffocating, but now there was a vague yet exact date to her death which made her life feel as if it was ticking down to zero. All of that combined with her being banned from Midgard not only made her feel livid at Apollo but depressed and pitiful. As if Apollo was already taking in too much air from her and now, he was inhaling all of it for himself. He was scared, she gets that, and to be fair, she was terrified. She was always scared of her life being taken by her own cousin. If there was one thing she could change about Ragnarök, it would be how she dies.

Maybe she would rewrite herself as Ragnarök's champion.

Maybe her acceptance was her way of still saying she's scared.

Maybe she was not accepting of Ragnarök either and her impassive attitude was her losing her mind.

"Sigyn?" Freya asks.

Sigyn shakes her head and looks at Freya, not having heard anything she was saying if she was even saying something, to begin with. If there was one person in Asgard she could consolidate to, it was Freya (same applied to Apollo but for different reasons). Freya has been on her toes when approaching Apollo and Sigyn because they have both been sensitive or blunt towards Ragnarök. That, and they always were being babied by Thor and Jane so if there was a real adolescent here, it was Freya.

"Are you okay?" Freya asks.

"I miss Midgard," Sigyn says. "I miss being there. It feels like every time I come here, we always find out something bad or something terrible happens."

Freya nods, sympathizing. "I think Apollo does too."

"Apollo doesn't even want to see our friends or tell them that Ragnarök is coming! We've known about it for three years and it's still not showing up so we could just go and nothing will happen."

"Have you ever thought about Apollo telling them?" Freya asks. "Think about it: Apollo is a man of presentation. He's the chosen champion of Ragnarök and the heir to Asgard's throne. Asgard is a protectorate of Midgard and all the other Realms, and his friends are people who he can be vulnerable around. How would his ego feel if he said aloud that he would rather have Midgard and Asgard burned than sacrifice himself? That he would rather lose all of his people and land than himself? How does that make him look?"

Sigyn rolls her eyes. "If only we could extract his ego and choke the Midgard Serpent with it."

"Sigyn, imagine if you were in his shoes. I believe that if you were not involved in Ragnarök, he would've been satisfied with sacrificing himself."

"What are you getting at?"

"You do know the last thing that Apollo would be doing before dying is killing you, right? And he's so adamant on having a noble death so tell me what is so noble about committing an unlawful execution before sacrificing yourself - especially since he has resisted on killing you the moment he found out he had to. It's an unjust take on 'a life for a life,' if you ask me."

Sigyn is silent. She can't stand this conversation anymore so she decides to turn it around. "How are you not crying?"

Freya scoffs. "Who says I haven't? Why would I cry in front of you or Apollo? Sure, I would be losing my best friends but why do I deserve your pity? I still might die at Ragnarök but I'm not destined to. How would you feel if someone offered to take your place at Ragnarök?"

Sigyn opens her mouth a little to say something but ends up biting on her tongue. The fact that she hesitated on that last question indicates that she may not be completely for Ragnarök in the way she thought she was. Why was Freya of all people the only voice of reason she's had? And why does Sigyn feel as if she hates her for that?

-o-

Later in the evening when it was time for dinner, everyone took their seats at the table. Thor sits at the head of the table, Jane beside Thor, Apollo on the other side of his father, Freya beside Apollo, and Sigyn beside Jane. The castle staff simultaneously lift the silver domes from the trays, releasing clouds of steam scented herbs and oils. Everyone says their thanks except for Apollo who gasps and shoves his chair away from the table, its legs screeching against the floor. They all jump a little, startled at what just happened.

"How dare you?!" Apollo turns blazing eyes on the servant who delivered him his meal.

The servant stumbles back, her eyes as round as the tray. Apollo stands so fast that his chair tumbles to the floor.

"Speak!" Apollo exclaims at her. "How dare you mock me?!"

The servant doesn't respond, frightened.

Thor instantly rises from his seat, sending his chair back as well. "Apollo, sit down!"

"Father!" He yells back.

"Listen to yourself!" Jane adds urgently, trying to reason.

Freya and Sigyn sit across from each other, trying to communicate with their eyes as those three argue with one another. They guess that when the servant opened Apollo's tray, he didn't see the food that was there. Sigyn twists her illuminated fingers under the table and Freya subtly peeks underneath. Sigyn uses her magic to create what Apollo saw. It was The Midgard Serpent. He was hallucinating and letting his anger out.

"Apollo…" Jane mutters, standing up slowly to ease him. "Please calm down…"

The servant backs away, bowing, muttering apologies and begging for mercy for something she hasn't done. Sigyn's entire body is shaking. With her racing heart, she squares her shoulders and stands up.

"I did it!" Sigyn exclaims.

The room stills, silences. Thor dismisses the servant who runs out in a bumbling sob. Everyone turns to Sigyn: Freya from her seat, Thor from the head of the table, Jane from beside him, and Apollo with rage.

"I did it…" Sigyn repeats softer with a little spunk in her voice. For some odd reason, it felt good for her to say that even if it was a lie.

Everyone watches her without expression, except for Apollo. He fists both hands at his sides with a seething dark gaze. Sigyn's entire mouth goes dry as she runs her tongue over the roof of her mouth. Still, her adrenaline pumps vigorously.

"I was only trying to help you adjust to Ragnarök," she lies, pressing her arms against the table to stop herself from shaking. She is blessed to have been gifted with excellent lying abilities. "It was meant as a harmless jest. I thought that since you want to defeat The Midgard Serpent, you could eat it instead of the other way around. I understand now that it was an immature decision that crossed ethical lines. I can only apologize and ask for your forgiveness." Her eyes meet Apollo's and they do not, at all, look sorry. "But if forgiveness is not in your oh-so-mighty power, then at least direct your anger towards me and not the dear servant, who would've had no previous knowledge of my sin. The punishment should be all mine."

Sigyn thought that she would've eased the tension, but she only made it worse. Apollo's breathing returns to normal as he shakes his head. Freya takes his arm but he pulls back. He departs, picking up his fallen chair before leaving. Sigyn takes this as her cue to sit back down. Her hands are shaking so hard from under the table after Apollo's outburst that she thinks she's making the entire table vibrate. Then, she looks back up only to have Thor and Jane staring at her coldly because, from their perspective, they believe she actually did it. However, she isn't going to confess because it feels good not to.

"How could you do something like that?" Jane asks with absolute anger in her voice.

Sigyn shrugs with a small smile on her face. "Sometimes, you gotta laugh instead of cry and scream."

Jane opens her mouth to continue to yell but stops herself, regaining her composure. "Just eat."

Everyone is seated again. Sigyn just tosses her food back and forth with her fork, not even making eye contact with Freya. The tension in the room is so tough that it could be thrown at a window to make it break into pieces.

"This is all due to psychological trauma pertaining to Ragnarök," Thor says to Jane.

"I'd recommend that we get him a doctor but what could they possibly do?" Jane asks.

"Prescribe a daily dose of tantrums to let it all out," Sigyn suggests with a small laugh in her voice.

Thor and Jane look glare at her again. This time, in annoyance.

"What is wrong with you?" Thor asks her.

"Forgive me, Thor, but I'm hungry," Sigyn says, shoving food in her mouth.

"Your safety is all Apollo cares about."

Sigyn almost chokes on her food due to a laugh. She swallows and takes a quick drink of her water. "Is that so? Sure, he acknowledges that I'm going to die at Ragnarök but he seems more concerned about it being on his conscious than him losing his _favourite_ cousin. I clearly don't deserve his protection and don't really want it if he's going to allocate it to save me and not the Realms."

"Sigyn."

Sigyn's smile fades. When someone says your name like that, when they won't even look you in the eye, there is nothing more you could do or say. Their mind is made up that they are done with whatever you are trying to pull.

Sigyn stands up and excuses herself for the night, suddenly losing her appetite. She still finds it funny how only little lie can destroy so much.

-o-

Later in the night, Apollo scrambles awake, gasping, his hand clutching to his neck, still feeling the monster's long teeth lodged in his flesh. He looks out his bedroom window at the sharp shards of the night sky.

He dreamt that he was on the battlefield and that he saw when he put on The Serpent Crown. He heard screams and roars, seeing the blackened ruins of an unknown city around him, the piles of bodies with Sigyn's standing out. Then, the Midgard Serpent locked eyes at him and pounced - then he woke up.

Then, he looks over at the foot of his bed and sees Sigyn corpse lying there with her eyes wide open, staring at him. Apollo sits up, startled at the sight. He looks down at his hands and sees them covered in blood - _her blood_ \- and then it hits him:

Her blood will be on his hands. The Midgard Serpent will eat him. _He will die_.

Ragnarök's coming for him and the thought of that future squeezes the air from his lungs.

Apollo's stomach lurches at the illusion of Sigyn and her blood vanishes. He rolls on his other side, his stomach tumbling with him. What happened at dinner was his first hallucination (even if Sigyn may or may not have prompted it - he doesn't know or care anymore since thinking about it hurts) but he knows that they will keep coming and worsening. He'll see a hungry serpent crawling out of the shadows in the night, scratching the floor and walls. Sigyn's corpse will be lying around anywhere - on tables, the floor, the grass - drenched in her own blood.

"Apollo?"

He looks up and sees Freya peeking in through the door. She slowly walks up to him. Apollo blinks hard, struggling to focus on her in case she's just a figment of his mind. When Freya sits on the edge of his bed and takes his hand, he knows that she's really there because his heart starts feeling incredibly warm.

"Should I ask?" Freya asks.

"I'm fine," Apollo replies, wiping the sweat on his forehead with his free hand.

Freya doesn't smile but just keeps staring at him. Apollo straightens himself, scooting closer to her. Sometimes, being quiet with her feels more like real closeness than having a conversation with someone else. He couldn't let her be scared in his problem. Someone has to be brave because he certainly isn't.

"Apollo, you need to talk to me," Freya begs.

"I can't keep talking about this," Apollo replies. "I need to fight, I need to do something! I can't talk and negotiate with the Midgard Serpent! Everything's different now. I'm different. I'm powerful and my mind is falling apart. But maybe I can fix it - stop it. I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do."

"Neither do I."

Apollo looks at her in the darkness, her eyes glowing from the light coming in through the window. She's breathtaking. She's beautiful, innocent, perfect, kind, caring, loving, and so much more.

"Can you stay?" Apollo asks her.

Freya hesitates for a second before finally nodding her head. Apollo scoots over and she slips in under the sheets next to him. They both lie down and Freya snuggles up close to him. She lays her head and hand on his chest, and Apollo watches her drift slowly to sleep.

Apollo's heart beats faster every time she is near him, almost like she's restoring life in him. They do love each other - maybe they never said it, and maybe love was something they were never in, but it was something they certainly feel for each other.

"I will be fighting by your side," Freya whispers to him with a smile on her face.

"At least someone is," Apollo responds. "God, Freya, I'm terrified."

"But you've always been so brave. Fear is just an emotion."

"No, you don't get it. I was never brave before learning about Ragnarök just because nothing scared me. How could I be brave if I've had _nothing_ to be brave against?"

Freya is silent because Apollo has a point.

* * *

 **When you're Apollo x Freya trash.**

 **Can you guys do me a favor (that is, if you want)? Could you guys go to the poll on my page and just pick four random choices? It's for one of my stories and it would really help if I had lots of voters.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** \- **Both Sigyn and Apollo are not getting any better as the years continue to go by…**


	118. What Happened in Asgard: Part Six

**A while ago, I had a dream with Iqadi in it and it was wonderful.**

 _ **Recap**_ **\- After a sudden outburst at dinner, Apollo and Sigyn are growing hostile towards one another as his hallucinations start worsening.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Eighteen: What Happened in Asgard Part Six

 _Asgard - Four Years Ago_

Coiled around his chandelier above his bed is a massive serpent with its jaws open and fangs dripping into Apollo's eyes, burning them. He turns to his side and sees Sigyn's body lying lifeless in the spot next to him. They're suddenly in a land where the ground has turned to ash, the smell of blood and burnt flesh fills the air, and that hideous monster with its beady eyes stares right at him.

"Soon enough, Apollo!" The Midgard Serpent screams at him, oddly having Sigyn's voice. "Soon enough!"

"Stop!" Apollo yells back. "Get away from me!"

He rustles around the spot, his limbs tangled in his bedsheets. His panic escalates and stops when Sigyn's corpse wakes up and grabs him, pinning him down.

"Apollo, wake up!" She yells, spitting in his face. "You are having a nightmare!"

Apollo really wakes up, hoping that this is not another nightmare and actual reality. He looks beside him and sees Freya fast asleep. He watches her while she sleeps as if they were husband and wife when they aren't even dating. He leans on his elbow, listening to her deep-drawn breaths as he runs her tangled hair in-between his fingers. She has done her very best to try and make it feel like a home for him, somewhere comfortable. He does not recall her saying very much about Ragnarök, but she was always near him when he needed a stable presence. Sometimes, she would hold his hand or rub his back or lie next to him.

The horrors did not go away, but when Freya was there, they felt shorter.

He gets up just to free himself from his suffocating bedsheets. He walks across his room and leans against the wall, its cool feeling helping to calm him down but not succeed. He inhales and exhales a little too loud, sounding as if he was trying to hold back a scream or a panic attack which, in hindsight, he probably was.

"Apollo…" Freya mutters, sitting up in the bed. She holds the bedsheets up to her chest, in fists full of fabric. Her face, despite the room being dark, is readable. It shows concern for him which is a look he's familiar with from everyone except Sigyn. _Have people been showing concern for her? All he sees is her dead in his visions or being yelled at in reality._

"I hate these nightmares," Apollo confesses to her. "I need something to keep me from falling asleep so I can never have them again."

Freya identifies the double meaning to that and her posture straightens. Apollo catches on and stops himself from talking. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have at all let alone right now with the girl he's in love with.

"Alright, I will sleep now," Apollo states.

He doesn't move from where he's standing.

"Apollo," Freya says calmly, getting out of bed herself and walking towards him. "In order to sleep, you need to come here and close your eyes."

"I cannot…" he responds weakly. "When I close my eyes, I see the Midgard Serpent or something related to Ragnarök and then I fear that I will never wake up again."

-o-

Sigyn slouches over, her head spinning and eyelids falling due to the lack of sleep. To nobody else's knowledge, she has been getting nightmares about Ragnarök as well but, unlike Apollo, she hasn't been screaming about them. She would just shoot up awake, recognize that she had a nightmare and just stay awake until morning. Her nightmares were more centred around Midgard, specifically the people she left behind and haven't seen in four years. She would see The Midgard Serpent poisoning them, burning them, and Sigyn would always try to help to the best of her ability but she could never really do much because only Apollo could truly defeat The Midgard Serpent and bring an end to Ragnarök.

If she couldn't stop Ragnarök, then was she really the most powerful in all the Realms? If she was destined to be killed by Apollo and he was the only champion for Ragnarök, then maybe he was the most powerful. She was the most powerful sorceress, but he was just the embodiment of power.

Sigyn wakes back up, lifting her head from Loki's cell wall. For a moment, she almost forgot that she was here. It's not like she remembered coming here.

"You're not only tired but homesick," Loki says to her, standing in front of her from the inside of his cell. "Go and visit Midgard."

"I got banned, remember?" She tells him.

Just like the first time Sigyn told Loki that Apollo banned her from Midgard, he laughs. And it isn't just another laugh, it's a full-on hearty and menacing cackle like there was nothing else in the world funnier than that and to Loki, there wasn't. To him, it was refreshing to constantly hear the mess his daughter got herself into this time. From his perspective, her problems just kept on getting worse even when he didn't think that was possible.

Sigyn rolls her eyes.

"Just go," Loki tells her.

"I can't."

"Apollo will never know. He's too busy drowning in delusions."

"And when he comes to the surface, he will chop my head off." She takes a breath. "Little did I know that Apollo's complete destiny was written possibly long before mine and the both of us are just on different pages. I should've never told him that he was written to kill me all those years ago."

Loki raises an eyebrow. "You have barely shown one act of rebellion towards Ragnarök. It's as if you want it to happen."

"I never said I _wanted_ it to happen," Sigyn argues. She looks up at him. "Trust me, I don't like it one bit. I just don't like the other ending even more."

Loki shakes his head with his signature grin. "Only I can catch your lies, dear Sigyn, you are not as good as you think you are. I know what's behind your front. Sure, Apollo banned you but if this happened before you knew about Ragnarök, you would've left for Midgard before Apollo could finish screaming at you. The truth is that you don't want to go back to the Realm knowing that you will die when the monster that lives underneath emerges. Why see them again when you could die at any moment - or better yet, have them watch you get cut open by your own cousin and their best friend. What a reunion that would be…"

Sigyn is speechless. She can't believe her father just said that to her but at the same time, she should've seen that coming. He never seemed to take Ragnarök seriously.

"What would you do if you were written in Ragnarök?" Sigyn asks.

Loki shrugs a little. "Make it something for the history books. If the Norns prophesied it a long time ago, give them something worth more than their patience."

-o-

Apollo walks down the palace hallways in the middle of the night. Freya went back to sleep and he pretended to. Then, when she was completely under, he snuck out. The lights are dimmed but still bright enough to be able to walk around and not crash into anything. There is less staff on site during these hours, but those still working always nodded their head at him as a sign of respect. Apollo knows he doesn't deserve those gestures because he was only awake at this hour because he couldn't sleep, like a child. He is a child who is scared of the monster hiding underneath his bed, not the prince or champion everyone else sees him as.

"Hey," Sigyn states, throwing her hands in the air to get his attention and marching prominently down the hallway towards him. "We need to talk."

Apollo doesn't argue against it because he remembers exactly who is behind him. Sigyn. A real person with a voice and opinions. She isn't just some ideal at Ragnarök but his cousin. _She's the person who sees him as some arrogant child who wants to get his way. She will do anything to prevent that_ _because she wants to._ Instead, he lets Sigyn grab his arm and drag him through the hallway until they're at the very end, right in front of a window to have access to a bit more light. She stares up at him with a cross look in her eyes, looking past his beyond-terrified expression to get her point across. Maybe this is why she needed more light - to get a better look at him.

"Let's get this straight," Sigyn says, "I am not fighting against Ragnarök."

"I know," Apollo replies calmly. "I have always known."

Sigyn nods. "I think I was just confirming it with myself."

"Are you scared?"

Sigyn looks at him as if he just asked a stupid question. "Of course I am. I'm just not ehining about it like you."

Apollo isn't convinced by the attitude in her voice. However, her still being awake and looking exhausted shows that she isn't sleeping either. _Maybe she can't just like you._

"True terror isn't being scared, Sigyn, it's not having a choice in the matter," Apollo tells her. "I may never be _half_ the hero my parents are but I owe it to them - and to everyone - to at least _try_ to save the day. When I dare to be powerful, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. What's the point of being a weapon if you can't use that might to try and do something other than sacrificing?"

That word sends a shiver up and down her spine. "Actions have consequences."

"So does inaction. Foreseeing the future means nothing if there is nothing we can do to prevent it. There is a reason why the Norns told us, a reason why my father sent you and Freya to get The Serpent Crown. This is all a part of the prophecy." He exaggerates a shrug. "I might be breaking, I might be losing my mind, but I will not be defeated. I may not be able to change the past but I'd be damned if I can't even _try_ to save the future."

Sigyn shakes her head. "There is no perfect solution. Fate will find us wherever we go. Some must die so that others might have a life. It's a tragedy but it's also a truth."

"I know. I have nightmares containing - "

Sigyn entire face sharpens. "Do not tell me."

"Who am I to tell them to if I can't tell you?"

"Let them remain private. I have no nightmares and I do not want to start having them."

That's partially true. She can't have nightmares if she doesn't sleep. They trade glances but there's no optimism, only coldness.

Sigyn sighs. "Maybe, it'd be better if we parted."

"You wouldn't go far," he replies.

"I never said I'd be the one leaving. Besides, I have nowhere in mind to go. I got banned from my other option." She looks up at him and his face doesn't budge. "You can't live in fear, Apollo, you either get over it or it overwhelms you. The more you resist, the more the fear persists. Trust me, it will be fine. You will adjust just like I have. You will _accept_ it."

Apollo won't and they both know that. What scares him more than Ragnarök - what scared him the _most_ about Ragnarök, was Sigyn's passiveness towards it.

"You cannot defeat the Midgard Serpent with your fists or your axe alone," Sigyn tells him with conviction in her voice. "Your weapon is the only thing that makes you powerful right now and you're useless without it."

Apollo feels himself tense up. "Stop provoking me. The Norns do not deserve my trust."

Sigyn can't help but grin because he's wrong. "Neither do I."

His emotions continue to fluctuate. Furious and burning one moment and devastated and full of tears the next. This is his fate. This has always been his fate even if he only found out a few years ago. He's destined to kill Sigyn and sacrifice himself. He thought he would have an ally in this and that it would be Sigyn, of all people, but apparently not. He thought that she would be as furious as him in this. _Britney Braun would have_ but he doesn't dare mention her name.

And so he left. Through the doorway and Sigyn's now alone. She stands at the window and her heart aches for Apollo and herself. At a certain point, brains stop trying to rationalize things because they give up, shut off, and shut down.

There is such thing as a non-violent fist. She thought he might roar and rage but he didn't because his sadness and fear are even worse than his anger.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **As the years tick down, they try to prepare for Ragnarök to the best of their ability. But can they truly do so?**


	119. What Happened in Asgard: Part Seven

**A while back, I posted a _Spider-Man_ one-shot centered around Peter x Michelle titled _Knight in Shining Spandex_. Go check it out if you're interested. **

_**Recap**_ \- **Sigyn and Apollo have shared how they feel about Ragnarök which will only sever their relationship even more.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Nineteen: What Happened in Asgard Part Seven

 _Asgard - Three Years Ago_

Apollo stands in the middle of the sparring area mostly used where Thor trains the next generation of Asgard's warriors. He would train with them most days like when he got bored around the palace or the warriors wanted to face a challenge or simply because he wanted to train himself. Ever since he heard about his inevitable death at Ragnarök, he knew deep inside of himself that he had to try and find a way to beat The Midgard Serpent. He deems himself as powerful, mighty, and the Gods made him into their champion, so why wouldn't he be able to slice the Serpent?

Apollo ducks as a sword swoops over his head, nearly slicing the ends of his hair. He kicks over a warrior and turns around, holding his sharp axe by the blade to whack another one with the handle. Suddenly, Apollo gets knocked to the ground in a good old-fashioned tackle. He rolls for a bit and laughs boastfully as he engages in a fistfight on the ground.

"Tired yet, Apollo?" The warrior asks with a smile.

Apollo grins. "Don't worry, I'll put you to sleep."

Apollo laughs boastfully as he pushes him off. He gets back up but when he looks in the direction of where the warrior landed, he doesn't see him at all. It's Sigyn's corpse.

His expression suddenly drops, freezes. His breathing shakes as does his body. Everything around him sort of blurs into a mess of colour with the only thing in his eyesight being Sigyn's corpse. _Sigyn's corpse. The more he looks, the more sees the gruesome details of her dead body: the paleness of her skin, the stillness of her limbs - all of it is too much to think about. What strikes him most is that she's not covered in blood this time compared to flashbacks he's had in the past. That's when he notices that Sigyn's wearing The Serpent Crown on her head._

 _What gets him queasy is that the crown starts shifting, slithering, going in circles in a nest of Sigyn's hair. But when the head of the snake sees him, it looks up and its eyes narrow and lock on him._ _Some kind of animal moves out of the shadows. No, more like a demon. Even in the relative darkness, Apollo makes out its grotesque face. Its jaw is open so wide that it looks unhinged, showing off rows and rows of jagged teeth that drip thick saliva. Its arms and legs are too long and muscular. Something grabs his shoulders and he looks up to see one of the Norns, specifically the Future Norn, hovering above him and her fingernails gripping him so hard that it cuts through his armour and into his own skin._

 _"_ _You are going to kill your cousin and then die," she hisses._

 _The Past one appears in front of him. "You thought you could put an end to the curse but you failed."_

 _The Present one appears beside her. "That curse is branded on your skin even deeper than before. You should have realized that by now."_

 _"_ _No!" Apollo screams_ and back in reality, his scream is louder than ever, causing the storm clouds to start forming and darkening all around the sparring arena. The clouds swirl, charging with lightning. Apollo doesn't even have his axe in his hand and yet, he is calling his power which has everyone on their toes.

"Stand down!" Thor yells to his warriors as he starts running up to his son.

The warriors lower their weapons, return them to their holders on their armour if they could. They back up from Apollo, wary if a sudden lightning blast will come from nowhere and electrocute them and to make room for Thor to handle whatever is going on.

Apollo's whole body trembles as he gasps for air due to returning to reality. Short pauses between sobs while he desperately tries to recover from the horror he just saw. Thor securely holds him by his shoulders as Apollo frantically clutches to himself to keep himself from collapsing, from showing defeat. His cries never beat through his chest, causing his heart to ache. His body eventually releases in his father's arms, his sobs softer and grip on himself softer.

Fighting combat and throwing an axe are not only in the wrist. It's also in the shoulders, the hips, and most importantly: _the head_. He should've known that his attack wouldn't work in his favour since his mind is infected with these visions.

"Apollo," Thor says softly, holding him close. "You are fine. You are okay."

"You want me to die!" Apollo unexpectedly screams at him.

Thor tenses up a little as Apollo's chest continues to heave up and down. The warriors quickly dismiss themselves, leaving Thor alone with his son. Thor doesn't even spare a second to think about what to say because his mouth just spits out the first and most genuine response he could think of.

"How dare you say that?" Thor asks softly. "How could you even _think_ that? Ragnarök hurts for you because you're a good person and I believe in what you're trying to do."

"Then why don't I _feel_ like a good person?" Apollo asks, his voice trembling.

"Because Ragnarök is disagreeing with you."

"I thought that out of everyone who would want me to fight against my fate, Ragnarök would side with me."

-o-

From the palace balconies, Sigyn stands in the centre, peering over the edge in awe at the wonderful spectacle she just witnessed with Apollo down in the sparring centre. Various castle attendants and servants were talking to one another in hushed tones, showing concern or spreading gossip about their prince. At least they showed a bit of pity whereas Sigyn just laughed at Apollo the whole time, applauding even. Nobody gave her sympathy, but strange looks at her lunacy. Then, she was finally alone with her show.

"I love a good drama with action and special effects," Sigyn says to herself as she rests her arms on the balcony's ledge. "At least Ragnarök would be visually stunning."

She peers up for a second and sees the dark clouds that Apollo made out of nowhere slowly fade away. Then, her eyes return to Thor consoling his son. She can't read their lips but their faces say plenty. Sigyn knows that Apollo has never been more passionate about anything than defying Ragnarök. The problem with that is in what she just saw. Passion is just an obsession with something that you can't seem to get better at. If Apollo can't get through his hallucinations of Ragnarök, what makes him think that he can win the actual event? It's funny to think about that until someone gets hurt, and then it becomes hilarious.

"To think that a boy who cries and screams at the littlest of his imaginations is supposed to save the Realms," she scoffs. "May the gods, help us all…" Sigyn snickers to herself as she turns and walks away from the balcony. "Ragnarök picked the wrong champion."

"You shouldn't have said that."

Sigyn enters the hallway of the palace and sees Jane standing before her. Sigyn notices Jane's worrisome expression but doesn't react the way she would've when she was a teenager. Times have changed. Years have passed. Ragnarök is now in the picture.

"I don't regret what I said," Sigyn replies before continuing to go her own way.

She couldn't just have her lines written for her just because people want to hear them. Her fate was already created by other people so couldn't she have just some things to herself? Sometimes, she has thoughts like that which she can't even understand. Thoughts that are possibly true - that are maybe how she really feels - but they're running through her head anyways because they're interesting to think about.

"I know you do," Jane says to her.

Sigyn bites down her tongue before saying different.

-o-

Later, in the throne room, Thor stands with Jane, Apollo, and Sigyn to inform them of what he plans to do next. Jane stands across from her husband with Apollo and Sigyn on both of her sides. Neither of them looks at the other eye-to-eye.

"I will spend some time visiting the other realms, excluding Midgard, to see if they have any knowledge or tactics on Ragnarök," Thor says.

"Excluding Midgard?" Sigyn questions. "Why? They're the ones with a giant snake coiled around its core."

Apollo shivers at the sound of that and Sigyn huffs as she rolls her eyes. Jane scolds her and Sigyn pulls her arm back to herself. The two of them were still being treated like children and this is what happens when you put two childish minds in charge of saving the world.

"I'm not visiting _all_ the Realms," Thor corrects himself. "We are not on good terms with some of them."

"Last time I checked, we were a protectorate of Midgard and not only do we have allies there but _friends_! Go to Midgard!"

"Sigyn - "

"Sigyn," Jane states, turning towards her niece to explain this from a Midgardian's perspective. "Humans cannot handle crises. If we were to tell them that a war was coming, they would be so frantic and have distrust in all of their allies that they will implode. They would destroy themselves before The Midgard Serpent even wakes up. That, and there is still a vast majority of the human race who, even after what happened in New York, still don't believe in the possibility of aliens and gods and monsters. You try telling them about Ragnarök."

Sigyn straightens her posture. "You heard The Norns. ' _It doesn't matter what you don't believe_.'" She stops herself when she grins a little from the corner of her mouth. "But you're right, Jane, you said that humans will be the ones who will go ballistic when they learn bad news and that even applies to half-bred like him."

Sigyn points at Apollo and he doesn't even pick a fight with her. Apollo doesn't say anything to her about her words because they're right. He may be only half-human, but he definitely felt fear when it came to anything involving Ragnarök. Maybe that was his inner mortal screaming out to him. Or maybe that was an ode to him being more like a mortal than a god. _Was that why he was the chosen champion? Was that why he was destined to protect Midgard?_

"Alright," Thor states, returning the discussion back to where it started. He's really only talking to Apollo and Sigyn. "In my absence, Apollo, you will be helping your mother with royal affairs and Sigyn - "

Sigyn holds up a hand to cut him off. "I will be on my absolute best behaviour."

Thor raises a brow skeptically. "Are you sure?"

She gives a devious smile. "I promise."

Thor and Jane look at her skeptically as Sigyn nods her head, keeping that smirk on her face.

Sometimes, you have to turn things upside down instead of right side up. Promises are lies that she _wants_ to keep. Sometimes, she lies to deceive people and other times, she lies because she needs the lie to become the truth. The thing about lying is that she never knows where the lie ends and as of right now, she isn't 100% where it started either.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **With Thor constantly being gone to try and solve the problem, what will Sigyn be up to when even fewer eyes are on her?**


	120. What Happened in Asgard: Part Eight

_**Recap**_ \- **As Apollo continues to lose his mind, Thor announces that he will be absent from Asgard often to try and see if any of the other Realms know a way out of Ragnarök**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty: What Happened in Asgard Part Eight

 _Asgard - Two Years Ago_

For the past year and what will continue to go on until the present day, Thor has been going back and forth between Asgard and certain realms. He has been partaking in meetings whose topics varied between alliances in Ragnarök, military approaches, possible clues towards its start, and its aftermath in both cases whether Apollo sacrifices himself or not. Apollo has been requested to join in the discussions but he refused before the offer was given. He didn't use his cowardice as an excuse for his absence, he simply said that he was helping his mother with royal affairs around Asgard during his father's absence as a part of his royal duties and training for Ragnarök.

When in reality, he just wanted to be with his mother.

Nobody asked about why Sigyn couldn't help around. Her reputation being the most powerful sorceress in all the Realms was overshadowed by her parentage as well as killing her mother and taking her power as her own. Many of the other Realms believed that her death at Ragnarök was necessary for those reasons which is possibly why it was written there in the first place.

Anyone outside of Asgard, even after Thor told them different, still believed that she had to die at Ragnarök mostly because of her potential given her outcome.

-o-

Sigyn has spent most of the day so far lying on a couch in one of the palace wings. She is currently bored out of her mind as she stares up at the ceiling. She has lost track of what time of day or month it was because what was the point of keeping tabs on that if she was doing nothing? She knows that years have passed even though it just felt like the longest week of her life.

She raises her hands in the air and allows her hands to light up, letting spirals of her magic appear right before her eyes. Sometimes, she would use her powers as a way to distract herself from her impending death and her cousin losing his mind, making playful puppets out of her power to create scenarios she wishes could happen. Some cases, she would be back on Midgard as if none of this happened and others, she would be making Ragnarök happen. It's beautiful to watch. Mesmerizing, even; as the glowing swirls emerge from nothing and create something better.

Sigyn sits up and waves her magic all over her body. Her Asgardian clothes morph into an outfit she would wear back on Midgard: an over-sized football jersey with her high school sweetheart's name and number on it, jean shorts, and high-top sneakers. She feels chills running where her magic touched her body. This was so familiar to her but so foreign and yet, it felt so right. She felt comfortable. _She could finally breathe._

Sigyn turns over her shoulder to try and get a look at how she looks from behind. She spins around a little and once she completed a full loop, her head perks up a little and she sees Freya walk in with, checking out what she's wearing.

"I was looking for you," Freya says with a smile. "I like your outfit."

Sigyn grins, appreciating the compliment. "So do I."

This was the closest to a normal conversation Sigyn's had in such a long time. Despite it being only twelve words long, it gave her feelings of joy she hasn't felt like a teenager. It only struck her now that she and Apollo, and even Freya, were no longer teenagers because they're now adults. Adults whose deaths were right in front of them the moment they showed up. That thought makes Sigyn shake and she shoves it to the back of her mind, wanting to just forget about it for the moment and go back to the teenage-like conversation she was having.

"Are you and Apollo dating?" Sigyn asks with a little-excited flutter in her voice.

"No," Freya responds too quick for it to be a denial.

"But you're sleeping together - like actually sleeping."

"So?"

"Have you at least kissed him?"

Freya's eyes nearly bulge out of her head, possibly due to embarrassment. "…no. We just talk."

"Kissing is just like talking but without the words." Sigyn sees Freya's eyes look down towards her boots. "Just go for it. Just because you can't experience everything doesn't mean you shouldn't experience anything. Besides, maybe it will take Apollo's mind off of certain events."

"Mind you, I have never been romantically involved with anyone before."

"Then take this to heart: when he tells you you're beautiful, say you know. Confidence isn't egotism."

Freya doesn't laugh. "Sigyn, I'm serious." But Freya changes her mind. "Tell me what it's like to be in love."

Sigyn takes a breath since she didn't expect the conversation to take this turn. She glances down at her wrist where her favourite charm bracelet is located. "The world goes on even when lovers go their separate ways. What I had wasn't a romance because it was too perfect for that stupid word. He wasn't my first kiss or my only kiss, but he was the one that mattered. He was the kiss that made me realize that I don't want to kiss anyone else. So now, my lips belong to him. Just look at them. His name is written on them. If he'd kiss me one more time the way he did back in high school, I will explode…"

Sigyn exhales, feeling a sob coming on. She holds it back and looks at Freya who has tears forming in her eyes. Sigyn straightens her posture in shock since she doesn't remember ever seeing Freya tear up let alone cry. Sigyn stands up in front of her and doesn't hesitate to hug her. Freya accepts the gesture for a while before parting.

"I should be the one hugging you," Freya says.

"Why?" Sigyn questions. "Because I'm silently suffering from a broken heart and a crazy cousin?"

"Those are two reasons, but all because that was the first genuine truth I've heard you say in such a long time."

Sigyn pauses. If Freya found her spiel on her past relationship as a genuine truth, did that mean that Freya had a hunch or a confirmed belief that Sigyn's brave and sacrificial front was false? That she was lying for years? Sigyn knows that giving up for Ragnarök is the right choice because she cares about saving the lives of everyone on Midgard over her own. Maybe there was some truth there. It's scary that her own lies are so good that even she could believe them. She needs more answers.

"Come with me," Sigyn says.

Sigyn runs out of the room and Freya follows. She leads her down an immense flight of stairs, through a maze of hallways. They stop right in front of Odin's Treasury. Sigyn uses her magic to hypnotize the guard and send him away. Then, Sigyn and Freya walk inside, closing the door behind them. Sigyn lights up her hand to help with the light since the flames aren't enough. They walk through the rows of artifacts, not knowing the story behind most of them.

Sigyn's eyes turn towards a blue light that contrasts her magic and she is instantly in awe of the object emitting that light. It's a small blue cube that she's heard stories of. The Tesseract: the start of New York and The Avengers. Sigyn can see why her father was so drawn to its beauty and power.

Sigyn breaks out of her trance when Freya yanks her away from it. She shakes her head and starts walking deeper into the vault. They stop at the crown and Sigyn returns her hands to their normal state to pick up the crown. She hasn't seen it in years but it felt like she only held it last yesterday.

"We need to get out of here," Freya says. For some reason, she's whispering even though nobody's going to bust them for being in here.

"This crown may give me a way to stop Ragnarök," Sigyn says.

"I thought you didn't want to stop Ragnarök."

"I'm not so sure what I want at this point."

"Then let's leave and come back when you do know."

"Go outside and stand guard, especially for Apollo."

Freya rolls her eyes. "Sigyn, no."

"Freya," Sigyn pleads. "I'm trying to help myself and Apollo. Can you help us as well?"

Freya sighs as she turns on her heel and starts walking back. Sigyn watches her go and once the door is firmly shut, she looks back at The Serpent Crown. Its metal goes cold in her hands but she tightens her grip around it. She wasn't quite sure what would happen after she lied and she was now forced to find out, even if she didn't want to. It only took one moment for her life to change forever and now, she was going back there.

Sigyn rests the crown on top of her golden hair, allowing the serpent on it to dig its fangs into her brain.

-o-

Freya isn't sure how long she's been standing outside Odin's Treasury but it hasn't been long enough for her legs to give out and have her resort to sitting. She's been leaning against the wall this whole time, close enough to run back inside the treasury in case she heard something suspicious or unordinary happen; but far enough so that anyone walking by would not think she had any business in there.

Then, someone walks by. Freya perks up a little. If it was a guard or a palace attendant, she could easily brush them off. But, it's Apollo. This confuses Freya because she had no idea what Apollo would be doing here especially _now_ out of all times. Apollo's face seems to show the same expression when he sees her here.

"What are you doing here?" Freya asks.

"Sorry," Apollo says meekly. "I am kind of hiding from some officials who showed up to see my mother. Would you believe that when you are royalty, it's really difficult to find a moment of privacy?"

Freya smirks. "I'm not royalty but I've lived here longer than you to know that. That's why I'm standing here doing nothing."

"Have you seen Sigyn?" Apollo asks.

Freya shakes her head. "I have not but last I heard, she was with Loki."

"Funny you say that because I went there to look for her and Loki just laughed at me."

Freya's heart starts racing but her expression remains neutral. "Maybe because you couldn't find her."

"That's why I came here."

"Why would she be here?"

"I figured you'd know."

Freya opens her mouth and quickly shuts it. She looks right into Apollo's eyes and knows that he is on to her. Freya needs to act fast and distract him, maybe even get him out of here. She thinks about what Sigyn said and takes it to heart. Freya leans in to kiss him but stops right before she reaches his lips because Sigyn bursts out of Odin's Treasury with an overwhelmed and excited look on her face, still wearing The Serpent Crown.

"We have to go to Hel!" Sigyn exclaims, just now noticing Apollo's presence.

Apollo stares at Sigyn, unsure of how to make out this situation. She was wearing Midgard clothes, The Serpent Crown; and just suggested going to Hel.

"What are you wearing?" Apollo asks.

"Stuff I like," Sigyn replies, referring to _both_ her Midgard clothes and to The Serpent Crown.

Apollo's face shifts as if he was offended by her statement. "I thought you loved me like a brother, no, I _knew_ you loved me like a brother. First, you suggest going to Midgard, and now _Hel?!_ Have you lost your mind or did you sacrifice it to get lies from that crown?!"

Sigyn holds up her hands in defense with no magic visible. "Okay, that seems true given what you see, but how about we negotiate our options and go to Midgard instead of Hel. You could probably stay in that outfit and Freya can come."

Apollo eyes narrow at her. Freya tries to take his arm but he pulls back. Sigyn takes a deep breath to try and ease this situation even though she knows that anything she says or does from this moment forwards will only make it worse.

"You already banned me from Midgard which I have unwillingly obeyed this whole time," Sigyn says softly. "You cannot take this crown away from me. Do you want to know what it said?"

Apollo doesn't hesitate. "No."

Sigyn huffs. "A part of me wishes that we never met. Ragnarök would've been a lot less complicated that way. I am tired of clinging to the idea of not being able to have a conversation about it. We said to look out for each other because nobody else is destined to die in Ragnarök and how can we do that if we can't talk to each other."

"We talk, Sigyn, we just can't agree. Ragnarök isn't going to go our way. We either play by its rules and die, or we go against its rules and survive. Living for everyone is a promise to the world."

Sigyn hands light up on their own. "There won't be a world left! Why can't you put that through your brain?!"

Apollo tenses up, putting himself in front of Freya. The last time he saw Sigyn lose control of her magic was when they first arrived on Asgard and she killed her mother. She couldn't stop, she had to _be_ stopped.

Apollo runs towards her and Sigyn fight back, blasting her power at him. He dodges and then lunges himself towards her, sending her to the ground. Sigyn's head slams on the ground but her adrenaline cushioned the fall. She emits her forcefield to try and block Apollo from ripping the crown off of her head. He punches his way through, nearly missing her face. Sigyn phases her way out and reappears a few feet away. She stares right at Apollo, both of her hands making flaming fists of magic. Her breathing is steady as she makes a portal behind her. Sigyn uses her free hand to feel the top of her head and the crown is gone.

Her eyes immediately dart to the ground where the crown fell while she was phasing. Before she could run back to get it, Freya steps in-between Apollo and Sigyn with the crown at her feet. Both Sigyn and Apollo calm down, keeping their eyes on Freya as she picks up the crown. She looks at the both of them alternatively but keeps her gaze on Apollo. A mischievous grin that he's used to seeing on someone else appears on her face and her eyes glint an eerie shade of green as she puts the crown on her head.

* * *

 **Drama aside, I already know when Apollo and Freya will have their first kiss (like neither of them have kissed anyone else let alone themselves).**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- What will happen now that "Freya" has the crown on her head? And will the group eventually go to Hel? (Remember, that's where we first saw Sigyn in this story…)**


	121. What Happened in Asgard: Part Nine

**I'm updating this story because the new _Avengers: Endgame_ trailer has left me speechless and I need a little break from school right now.**

 ** _Recap_** **\- After Apollo caught Sigyn with The Serpent Crown, the two fought it out. The end result was Freya putting the crown on her own head.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty: What Happened in Asgard Part Nine

 _Asgard - Two Years Ago_

Apollo and Sigyn stare at Freya who stands in the middle of them. Freya's eyes shimmer a bright green as The Serpent Crown rests on her head. Then, her gaze flickers upwards as if something from above is coming her way. Apollo ducks just as a vase hits Freya right in the face, shattering into pieces. Freya stumbles back and Apollo turns around only to see Freya somehow standing there. Apollo turns back to where Freya was with the crown and sees that Freya phases away in Sigyn's own magic. Sigyn created that illusion to get The Serpent Crown back which is now on the ground in between them.

Apollo and Sigyn lock eyes for only a second before both running towards the crown. Sigyn uses her magic to make the crown appear in her own hands but when she turns around, Apollo leaps forwards. He throws himself on the ground, grabbing Sigyn's ankle. She falls to the ground and Apollo crawls forwards as fast as he can to grab the crown. When it's in his hand, Sigyn uses her magic with an open palm and keeps him stuck in his current spot.

"Sigyn, stop this!" Apollo yells at her as he tries to wriggle out.

Sigyn hears nothing. She simply gets back up and brushes off the wrinkles on her shirt. She takes a few steps ahead, making a portal for her escape.

"Sigyn, watch out!" Freya screams.

Sigyn turns back around in a panic. With her sudden change in focus, the magic she had on Apollo fades and he immediately jumps back onto his feet. He's too fast for Sigyn. He knocks the crown off her head and through the portal, yanking Sigyn back as the portal closes. Sigyn screams and cries rawly like a ballistic animal. She turns around with a flaming fist of magic ready to punch Apollo, her eyes glowing with that same intensity. But then, she simmers down and smiles a little which unsettles him.

"Thor will never know about this and as for you, Apollo; you will kill me, _not_ control me," Sigyn tells him. "I made that portal so, obviously, I know where the crown is."

Sigyn waves a hand over herself and disappears. Apollo is silent as he turns around to Freya who walks up to him.

"I am sorry for being by Sigyn's side and not stopping her," Freya says to him.

"I understand," Apollo replies. "I'm glad you were here. Who knows what she would've done if she was on her own…"

-o-

Sigyn appears right in the middle of Loki's cell. She looks ahead and sees her father already looking at her as if he expected her presence. Loki doesn't question anything about why she's suddenly here, dressed for a Midgardian football game, and looks as if a tornado went right through her. It's not that he doesn't care, which is partially the truth, he knows that Sigyn will answer that all on her own.

"Apollo and I had a fight," Sigyn tells him.

Loki laughs. A part of him knew that was the answer but it was always hilarious to hear.

Sigyn rolls her eyes. "You're supposed to tell me that this wasn't my fault and comfort me."

Loki grimaces. "Do you not know me at all? Because I know you and I know that it was definitely your fault." He looks at the table beside his chair and points at the object on it. "Where did that ugly crown come from?"

Sigyn walks over and takes the crown back. Then, she turns to Loki. "Tell me about Hel."

"Find out when you get there."

Sigyn's jaw drops open. "You want me dead?"

"No, Sigyn, never. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead already. I'm just offering for you to go there yourself."

"Exactly! That's what I said! I don't understand why everyone is against me when I'm the only one listening to fate!"

Loki begins to laugh again. "Oh! The irony!"

Sigyn takes a breath with a hint of frustration in it. "Some things have to happen! The only way we can be victorious is if we both die our destined ways. Apollo and I have roles to play at Ragnarök."

"But Apollo will not kill you."

"He has to. He has to make a sacrifice."

"He will not sacrifice you."

Sigyn pauses for a second. "I swear, I've had this conversation with Apollo a thousand times and it always ends the same way."

"You have to fight against it. Never give up."

Sigyn takes a step closer to Loki and lowers her voice to show her seriousness. "Apollo will kill me and never in my heart will I judge him guilty of any evil action. We should only give up if we have a good reason to."

"How about _not dying_?"

"How about _Midgard_?"

Loki shrugs, opening his arms widely. "I understand your coping mechanism. Your coping mechanism is all about festering and secrecy and deception that will ruminate inside of you until your heart will just die. You're so powerful, Sigyn, and sometimes the strongest women forget how powerful they really are."

Sigyn puts The Serpent Crown around her wrist like a bracelet. "I will take care of this."

"It won't work."

"Why don't you believe in me?"

"Because your plans never work."

Sigyn knows that's true but won't admit to it. "Please. I'm a real woman. I can make shit happen. If you let people do things to you, you're actually the one doing it to them. You're the one in control."

"Be careful. Battles are often lost because people do not know which war they're fighting. Remember what happens to those who disobey their fate…"

Sigyn huffs. "I've had just enough but still, I kept my mouth shut since nobody could hear me over Apollo's thunder. Ragnarök is just making me fear my cousin even more. I have a mission, a higher purpose, so let me fulfil it. Learning how to use my power was always something I've wanted…"

Loki watches her storm out of his cell, phasing right through its walls. He clones himself and makes an appearance right in front of Sigyn which startles her.

"Listen to me," Loki says with ease. His sudden care is what freaks her out. "You want to look as if you are made of dewdrops and glitter just to sway people, but you are ferocious. You are not weak, Sigyn, you are the problem in all of this. A problematic embodiment of endless potential and power."

"My mother would support my plan. This is what she's always wanted."

"And when have you ever needed her approval? Or cared about what she wanted?"

Loki raises an eyebrow, waiting for her answer but as he expected, she says nothing.

"Sigyn," he continues, "I already know what your moronic plan is and it won't work. You are no catalyst for Ragnarök. When you slightly alter the course of the prophecy, you will greatly attempt and fail to change the outcome. The more negative the change, the worse it is for everyone."

"What can be more negative than Midgard and Asgard being taken out of existence?" She asks, leaving her father speechless this time around as she walks right through his clone.

-o-

Apollo paces back and forth in his room, thinking of what happened moments ago. Sigyn wearing The Serpent Crown was one thing but what stood out more to him was her suggestion to go to Hel. Why would the crown ever tell her that? What could be so important about that realm besides it being the place they'll go after they die in Ragnarök - granted, that they die if he can't think of a way to stop it. And then, she became so adamant on keeping the crown but why would she want such a thing?

"How was Sigyn able to make a duplicate of you without you interfering earlier?" Apollo asks Freya, pausing to look at her.

Freya's currently preoccupied with dabbing her bottom lip which got cut sometime during the earlier fight. She pauses to answer him. "She blocked me out with a wall of her magic. Lucky for you, she blocked my body and not a vase."

Apollo approaches her, stopping right at the vanity. He sits on the tabletop, looking at Freya. Her eyes flickered upwards, meeting his.

"You know, there's something I've always wanted to do to your lips," Apollo tells her.

Freya raises an eyebrow at him. She stands up straight and purses her lips just to taunt him. Apollo suddenly realizes what he said and starts blushing wildly.

"That sounded better in my head…" He mutters.

"It did…" She nods. "But I agree."

Apollo's head raises a little and he smiles. It's natural, unlike the fake ones he's had to wear in front of others to cover up his screams and cries. Freya touches the corner of his mouth with her thumb and holds it in place.

"I haven't seen you genuinely smile in so long," Freya tells him.

Apollo sighs. "Ragnarök expects me to kill Sigyn and then die, so, I'm sorry for not being as happy as I used to be. I am not their champion, Freya, I am their sacrifice. I am not okay at all…"

Apollo holds her hand up to his smile tightly to keep him from breaking down. Freya bites down on her lip, holding back her own emotions and tasting her own blood in her mouth.

"You are more okay than you think, Apollo," Freya tells him. "Someday, you'll be yourself today. But you know what? That doesn't have to be today."

Apollo finds it hard to agree with that but he forces himself to nod. He already feels like he's lost Sigyn to Ragnarök and his parents to the Realms, but he will not lose the one person who has done everything in her power to make him happy. It's time that he returns the favour and stop being selfish.

Freya lowers her hand from his face and rests it on his shoulder. A small smirk appears on her face. "For the record, while it's very charming that you keep trying to protect me, I would like to remind you that I actually know how to defend myself."

Apollo snorts out a small laugh that sounds like a huff. "I'm grateful that no matter how much dysfunction there is in my life right now, I could always rely on you. At least I have you to talk to. You were with us the whole time. As long as I have you, Freya, I don't feel like I'm going mad."

Freya's heart skips a beat and she hugs him over his shoulders. Apollo hugs her in return, holding her by the small of her back. They rock back and forth on the spot as Freya rests her head in the space where his neck and shoulder meet. It was a nice moment until Jane rushes into the room and they part to stare at her in shock.

"Why the hell is there a broken vase in front of Odin's Treasury?!" Jane yells at them.

"Mother, do not worry," Apollo says, feeling a little cheerful. "It was my fault and I will clean it up in a moment."

"You better." Jane makes her way out.

As Apollo follows his mother in pursuit, he gives Freya one last smile before heading out. Freya returns the smile but once his back faces her, her smile fades away.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- The days are ticking down to the present, how much will Apollo's mind escalate towards complete insanity?**


	122. What Happened in Asgard: Part Ten

**Guess who wrote her last exams today and can now update the rest of this arc before summer school starts?**

 ** _Recap_** **\- After a fight for The Serpent Crown, Apollo starts understanding the psychological effects of Ragnarök on his mind whereas Sigyn is in the midst of completing her own plan.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Two: What Happened in Asgard Part Ten

 _Asgard - One Year Ago_

The spaces between episodes grew shorter while the paranoia and delusion grew exponentially. Days turned into months and months became years. Apollo became oblivious to the outside world, barely speaking to anyone at this point. He couldn't eat and his body started to feel like it was finally breaking down. Sleep was scarce, but when he did manage to close his eyes, his dreams were nightmares with visions of Ragnarök and when he was awake, that was all that occupied his mind.

Sanity fled. They had it one day and now it was gone.

He finally understood what The Norns meant when they said that rejecting one's own fate made them go mad...

-o-

Apollo wakes up and he sees a hazy smoke floating like a fog around him. A burning smell fills his nostrils, forcing him to sit up. He looks around him and sees that he's not in his bedroom but in a destroyed battlefield. He's dressed in his Asgardian armor and it's well worn-out. Apollo stands up, keeping his guard up because here's the thing:

He knows that he's dreaming, but it's not a dream that's in his control.

Apollo takes a deep breath and when he exhales, he sees his breath. He watches it disappear. When his eyes flicker upwards, he sees Sigyn in front of him. Apollo jumps back a little since not only did he not hear her appear, but she looks the same way he's always seen her: wearing her tight and corseted high-low green and black dress with high-heeled knee-high boots. She is never armed with anything but her magic. Her face is covered with ash and her hair is a mess, strands clump together with the same blood that also stains her dress and skin. Her face is blank and even though her eyes still glow bright green, she looks dead. The only thing about her that's in perfect condition is The Serpent Crown that sits on top of her head.

Sigyn barely walks up to him and he doesn't move. Her expression remains deadpanned but her eyes never leave him. Then, she breaks into an exhausted but malicious smile.

"Destiny is waiting…" She sings like a childhood rhyme, swaying side-to-side.

She then points at something past him. Apollo turns around and sees The Midgard Serpent mimicking Sigyn's movements like she was controlling it. The monster snarls at him, piercing its eyes and mocks a bite. Apollo's breath cuts itself off as he steps back. He jumps a little when he feels something grab his shoulders but relaxes only a little when he feels that it's only Sigyn.

It's unsettling to have the hands that control the Serpent touch him.

Her nails dig into the armour of his shoulders as her head rests there, being beside his own. In his peripheral vision, he can see the glow of The Serpent Crown and her grin as she looks up at The Midgard Serpent.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Sigyn hisses in his ear.

Sigyn walks beside him and lights up her hands. She opens them up, stretching out her arms. The Midgard Serpent's entire body is traced in her power and Apollo staggers backwards as Sigyn laughs wildly.

"You think you can fight this?!" Sigyn yells at him mockingly.

Apollo tries to catch his breath. He has to constantly remind himself that this is all his dream. _His_ dream. It _has_ to be in his control because it's in _his_ mind. That sparks an idea in his head. Apollo stretches his hand back and feels his power building in his body, getting stronger by the second.

The area around them starts filling with deep thunder and sharp lightning. Sigyn perks up as she lowers her hands and turns to face him with a scared look on her face. Tears fill her eyes as Apollo's axe lands in his hand and his power explodes all around him. She mouths something to him, something resembling an apology as she flies back from the impact of his force. Then, Sigyn and The Midgard Serpent suddenly vanish. Apollo finds himself alone once again.

He holds his axe loosely but tightens his grip again when he feels an eerily cool breeze blow on his back. He turns around, lifting his axe up high and ready to slash at whatever's there, but he finds himself in the presence of The Norns. Apollo lowers his axe, not out of respect but out of curiosity. He knows that they have a reason for being here.

"You cannot trust your cousin," the Present Norn tells him.

Apollo isn't surprised to hear that. "She said the same thing a long time ago. I thought she was bluffing."

"She is going to lie to you," Future warns. "She will plan something that will worsen your outcome."

"But be warned that just because she lied did not mean she betrayed you," Past says. Apollo is confused by the contradiction in that sentence.

"You should not protect her," Present says.

Apollo's response is automatic. "I have to. I have to protect both of us."

"You will attempt to do so," Future says, "but be warned - "

The Norns suddenly disappear mid-sentence in a swirl of black fog-like magic that formed at their feet and worked its way upwards, engulfing them. It swirls back down but they're no longer there. Instead, it's someone else. It's a different goddess, one that's a contrasting image of the Norns. This one, despite also being female, was a dark shade of black with hints of grey and green. She wears black spandex that resembles a catsuit but it looked so tight that it could've been her actual skin. The black stops right at her chest, breaking off into branches that leave her shoulders, neck, and face exposed. Her hair is long, black, and extremely straight, looking as sharp as a blade. She moves her arms upwards and back as if she was going to tie her hair but when she bunches it over her shoulders, it turns into a crown on her head; one that looks like prickled and tangled branches.

Her frame and stance are large yet slender and toned and even though Apollo is more muscular, he still feels intimidated in her presence.

"You will be seeing me soon, Apollo Foster," she tells him.

"How?" Apollo asks. "Who are you?"

She snickers. "Dear Champion of Ragnarök…I am Hela, Goddess of the Dishonorable Dead and Ruler of Hel. Your soul will be mine if you decide to follow Fate's story."

Apollo is unable to come up with an answer. Even though this is just a dream, it feels so real. Her presence still sends shivers down his spine. Did she mean that she will see him because he will die soon?

"What do you want?" Apollo asks her.

"To help," she says in a friendly tone which contrasts her appearance. "The Norns are right. You cannot trust or protect your cousin because she will do whatever it takes to get Ragnarök to happen."

"I sensed that," Apollo replies. "I can stop her."

"You cannot. Protecting her is what is causing her to rebel. She is against Ragnarök as well but not in the same way as you. She says that she's for it but she's really not. It's in her nature to lie..."

"What does that mean? How can I stop her?"

"Bring her to my realm. I will protect her for you."

Apollo almost instantly accepts his offer but stops. Hela is the one who will send her army to the Realms when Ragnarök starts and she will also take their souls if they die the way Fate tells them to.

"No," Apollo states. "I will never enter your Realm."

"Let me tell you the real story, darling. The most dangerous girl is the one who actually knows her mess of a mind too well. She carries too much death in her bones to be considered a damsel. She will distress the monster instead, try to wake it ahead of its schedule - ahead of _your_ schedule. Listen to the Norns if you trust their angelic appearances, and do not protect her. She is a sorceress with a wild mind and too much power at her fingertips. Sigyn is not fragile like a flower, dearest Apollo, she is fragile like a bomb."

-o-

Apollo wakes up in a panic even though nothing really spooked him back into reality. He's grateful that he's alone in the center of his bed because if he fell on the floor, he wouldn't like that all that much. The odd part is that Apollo doesn't remember anything in his dream causing him to wake up. Not even that conversation with Hela made him so scared to just quit dreaming. It just ended and he's still shaken.

It's in moments between sleeping and waking that he finds his thoughts drifting to his destiny, to the war and fighting that surely waits. He wishes that it will never happen, but he knows deep down that he can't escape. Either he kills Sigyn and sacrifices himself to The Midgard Serpent, or the Midgard Serpent eats all of Midgard and then Asgard burns. Either ending sounds like a loss.

Apollo calms down after a few deep breaths and sits up. Instantly, he's looking into a pair of glowing green eyes, When a hand glowing the same colour with magic illuminates, Apollo finally sees Sigyn sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed. She looks the same as she did in the dream, down to The Serpent Crown but just without the dead features.

Thanks to her magic contrasting the darkness, he can see her grinning as if she enjoyed watching him have a nightmare. _Maybe she was able to see what was happening in his mind_. _Or maybe she controlled his dreams..._

"You think you can fight the Serpent when you can't even gain victory in a dream," Sigyn mutters bitterly to him. "You still whimper even when it's not real. Here's a battle tip - maybe get the Serpent to care about you."

Apollo lifts an eyebrow in confusion as he sits up, leaning against his bed's headboard. "Are you so dense to believe that I can get that monster to _care_ for me?"

"It will care once you're lodged in its throat. Maybe it will regret swallowing you and just spit you out on Asgard's flames."

Apollo feels his own throat clench up. Sigyn's face doesn't budge one bit. _Maybe it was dead of emotion and not life._

"Why are you here?" Apollo asks.

Sigyn leans forwards. "To tell you this: no matter what we do, the fact remains that Ragnarök is up ahead and will stay there. Ragnarök is tough, relentless, merciless, untiring - it is not something we can control once it's begun. It is a power way beyond us - beyond _you_ \- so all we can do is accept it. You may be afraid of killing me and I may be afraid of dying at your hand, but you are more afraid of sacrificing yourself."

"Do I look like a man that can be made to suffer? For I shall suffer, no doubt about that because I already am. You are not making it better for me."

Sigyn leans back. "You have to trust yourself a little and let go of some of the control you think you have. We don't have any say in what happens. No matter what choices we make - solo or together - the ending is the same. We both die. You have to choose between what's good for you versus what might not be good because it's amazing.

Apollo shakes his head. "Fate does not make us powerless, Sigyn. They ironically made us the most powerful beings out there just for that one battle. Not being in control just means that we'll have to exercise our power differently."

Sigyn scoffs. "All nonsense aside, you should consider yourself fortunate. Unlike me, your death will have meaning. You're Ragnarök's champion while I'm just another corpse whose soul is having a ball in the pits of Hel. Being the most powerful sorceress in all the realms is a stupid title in that sense, isn't it?"

 _She is not fragile like a flower, dear Apollo, she is fragile like a bomb._

Apollo instantly remembers what the Norns and Hela told him in his dream. "What are you planning, Sigyn? Some sort of revenge against me because I refuse to let The Midgard Serpent win?"

The corner of her mouth raises a little in an intentional smirk. "Revenge isn't in my plan. You'll screw yourself over on your own."

 _She is not fragile like a flower, dear Apollo, she is fragile like a bomb._

Before Apollo could respond, Sigyn snaps her fingers and she disappears. Apollo leans back, lying back down on his bed. He pulls the sheets up to his face as if that was going to protect him from Ragnarök. The Midgard Serpent was a monster in real life located in the center of Midgard, not underneath his bed (although past hallucinations would say different).

But now, it's silent and lonely.

Which is probably how Ragnarök is going to be.

* * *

 **That flower/bomb quote is my absolute favourite quote of all time.**

 **For those of you who are interested, I have two new stories up. One is a _Cloak & Dagger _one-shot and the other is a humorous _Avengers: Endgame_ AU/Prequel based on Clint Barton.**

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **Sigyn finally convinces Apollo to go with her to a different realm but little does she know that he didn't need a lot of persuasion…**


	123. What Happened in Asgard: Part Eleven

**Happy _Endgame_ Day! (If we can even call it that). The movie was accidentally spoiled for me because I was watching a _Cloak and Dagger_ promo and some asshole decided to overtly spoil the movie in the comments. So, yeah, I know what happens. I know the ending, I know who dies, and I'm bittersweet about it.**

 **Also, the last chapter was when this story hit 200,000 words so that's exciting!**

 **Pay attention to the timeframes because we are getting closer to the present day (aka when we first saw Sigyn and Apollo in the story).**

 ** _Recap_** **\- after an eerie dream and post-dream conversation with Sigyn, Apollo isn't sure how to feel about his cousin given what The Norns and Hela told him.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Three: What Happened in Asgard Part Eleven

 _Asgard - Months Ago_

Sigyn stands on the balcony, looking out towards the kingdom just beyond the palace. Her eyes teeter towards the Bifrost bridge. The many colours draw in her interest. Despite having the power to make portals and go where she likes, she does enjoy using the Bifrost as a means of transport. There was something more fun about soaring through a kaleidoscope of colour and light than just stepping through a portal. It represented travel more than anything, making each of the Nine Realms feel connected to one another.

It makes her past seven years in the palace more nauseating.

Suddenly, something on the Bifrost catches her eye. Sigyn squints to get a better focus on what is there, leaning over the balcony's railing. However, she doesn't think about what she's doing and falls over the edge.

-o-

Apollo sits on the edge of the Bifrost with his legs dangling over the edge. As much as he doesn't want to go to Midgard because of the horrors constantly playing in his mind, he still feels that urge to do something. He wants to fight against Ragnarök but all that's standing in his way is the friends from Midgard that he actually misses when he takes some time to think about them, his parents, Sigyn, and his own life. Not to mention the biggest factor of all: he doesn't know how to do it.

Apollo thinks back to that dream he had with Sigyn, The Midgard Serpent, The Norns, and scariest of all, Hela. He has never seen Hela before so her appearance in that dream spooked him. How could he possibly imagine her if he doesn't know what she looks like? Aside from that, The Norns said that he should not protect Sigyn and that she was planning something against him. Hela said that he should bring Sigyn to him, that she will protect her.

But can he trust someone who has an antagonistic role in Ragnarök? Don't The Norns and Hela _both_ have antagonistic roles from his eyes?

Something disrupts his thoughts. It's a noise coming from above.

Apollo looks up and sees a portal opening above him. He scrambles to get back on his feet and sees Sigyn fall out of the portal. By the looks of it, she was going to miss landing on the Bifrost. Apollo steps just enough below her so he catches her arm once she's low enough. He puts her back on the Bifrost and she dismisses the whole event, brushing the corset part of her dress.

Maybe Hela was right. She does need to be protected.

"Are you heading somewhere?" Sigyn asks him.

"Are you?" He asks back.

"Where would I go?"

"You were the one who just fell out of a portal."

"Touché." She takes a few steps, circling behind him. Apollo turns around to keep his eyes on her. "Want to go to Hel?"

Apollo knows he has to say yes but wants to see how willing and desperate she is to want to go. If he says yes immediately, she might catch on that something is up since he's been screaming no in her face this whole time. Maybe if he were to say yes today, this is what Hela _really_ meant by her seeing them soon.

"No," Apollo replies.

Sigyn folds her hands together, holding them up to him. "Please, Apollo, it could help. Hela sends her fleet when Ragnarök begins so maybe if we could convince her not to, it could change the outcome in our favour."

 _His dream said it won't be in their favour. His dream said that Hela would take care of Sigyn for him. His dream said that Sigyn was as fragile as a bomb._

"It's a trap," Apollo says, continuing to play his act. "You are simply trying to get her to start Ragnarök so you could get what you want which is how it was originally written."

Sigyn's eye twitches a little. "That is something you dreamt for the past seven years. I cannot ignite it, only you can and if you don't know, then I don't know. I don't think anyone knows anything at this point in time."

Apollo studies her, still not fully convinced to take her there. If anything, he will just sneak out on his own and face Hela by himself. Who knows what would happen if Sigyn went there with her underlying intentions? He doesn't even know what would happen if he showed up to Hel.

"If you don't trust me," Sigyn starts, "I will bring Freya and we'll both handle it."

"Like hell, you will!" He screams at her.

Sigyn smiles and it wasn't at the pun but at knowing that she poked his weakness with a stick. "I promise on my life that I am up to only good." She raises her hands up, levelling them with her head to show her innocence. "I would never harm Freya, Apollo. To be frank, I like her way more than you as of right now."

Apollo takes a few breaths before nodding. He agrees with her since he likes Freya _way_ more than Sigyn at the moment as well. At least they still had that in common (the other factor being destined to die at Ragnarök) And even if Sigyn was out to get him in order for Ragnarök to happen the way it was meant to, he knows in the bottom of his heart, that Sigyn will never do anything that will hurt Freya.

"Alright," Apollo finally confirms. Sigyn jumps a little out of joy. "Let's go to Hel."

"You get Freya," Sigyn says, "I'll inform Jane."

She disappears in her own magic. Apollo exhales deeply, hoping that he isn't going to regret this.

-o-

Apollo found Freya in her room and he told her everything: from the dream he had months ago with Ragnarök, Sigyn, The Norns, and Hela. He informed them of what they said to her about Sigyn, and then how Sigyn just happened to appear right when he was thinking of it and offered to go to Hel again. And now, he's going to Hel with her.

Freya nods, taking in that large amount of information. She puts her hands on her hips. "I will go sharpen my sword."

Freya goes to leave but Apollo stops her by grabbing her arm. She looks at him.

"I don't want you to come," he tells her.

"Then, why would you bother walking in here and telling me all that if I can't come?" Freya asks.

"So I could tell Sigyn that I told you and you refused. If anything, I am not a liar."

"But I'm not refusing, therefore you will be a liar."

Apollo whines a little as he takes her hands with both of his. "Freya, please say no and tell Sigyn that I tried to convince you. I do not want you getting involved in this."

Freya yanks her hand back. "What am I supposed to do? Wait here for your valiant return like some damsel?"

"Not like a damsel, but yes."

Freya glares at Apollo who only smiles back at her. Freya rolls her eyes as continues making her way out again to go suit up. Apollo runs a little and stops right in front of her.

"Freya, I cannot ask you to come," Apollo says.

"You are not asking, I am inviting myself and you will escort me," Freya replies. "You and Sigyn need me now more than ever. I love you, Apollo. You are the best person in my entire life at the moment and Sigyn is the closest I'll ever have to a sister. I may not have the answers you're searching for but I will have your backs as you try to find them. It's the least I could do for everything you and your family have done for me my entire life."

Apollo's love for her is buried so deep in the muck of Ragnarök that he may never be able to bring it to the surface. Freya just told him that she loves him and here he is, unable to say it back no matter how much he wants and _needs_ to. Lucky for him, Freya already knows how he feels about her.

"Have you informed your mother?" Freya asks.

"Sigyn has that handled," Apollo replies.

Freya nods. "Are you scared?"

Apollo scoffs. "Do not worry, we've got this. We are well-trained, stubborn, powerful, and devout Asgardians."

"But Hel is the Realm of the Dishonourable dead," Freya says. "Do you want to be alive in a realm where everyone else is an angered spirit?"

-o-

 _Hel - Months Ago_

Fully armed and ready, Apollo, Freya, and Sigyn step out of the portal she made and enter Hel. The portal closes behind them, meaning that they cannot go back to Asgard for now. All of them exhale, needing a moment to just look around and absorb the realm they're in. This is one of the few realms that they have never been to nor had an intention to go to prior to today. Nobody takes spontaneous trips to Hel because it's a realm of unbecoming rot, decay, ruin, and misery.

"Follow me," Sigyn says, running ahead even though she has no idea where in the realm to go.

Apollo and Freya follow until Sigyn stops. The distant sound of metal hitting metal which could only mean one thing: battle. They spare the briefest glance at the horizon, letting the sour air pass them. Through the mists, they could see shapes that resemble people fighting. But they didn't understand how that could be possible since they're in the Realm of the Dishonourable Dead.

Sigyn lights up her hands and clears the fog, revealing an open space. Inside, there are two lines of armoured skeletons that go in the opposite direction for miles. The two skeletons in the front face each other and fight until one crumbles into a pile of bones. Then, the next one steps up to plate and battles. In the centre, sitting on a giant dark green almost black throne in none other than Hela herself.

"Oh my god…" Sigyn mutters, looking at Hela with awestruck in her eyes.

Apollo notices and doesn't like that one bit. "Do you think she noticed us?"

"Doubt it."

Sigyn points and sees Hela engaged in watching the fight between her skeletons - _The Dishonourable Dead._ However, Hela's face shows complete boredom.

"We have to claim guest rights," Freya tells them. "In certain realms, claiming guest rights could save you from being slaughtered."

Before they could even negotiate how they should make guest rights, Apollo instantly used his axe to summon all the thunder and lightning he possibly could and aims it straight ahead. It obliterates all the skeletons in their way. From behind his might, he sees Hela rise from her throne. She didn't look shocked to see that it happened but more angered. When the show ends, all that remains is charred bones, seared armour and weapons on the ground, and Hela staring right at them.

"Interference!" She screams, pointing at them.

Hela charges over to them. She wasn't walking or running but just taking long strides. Still, it looked like she was sprinting. Freya gets her sword ready but Apollo holds her back, keeping his eyes on Hela. Sigyn remained fascinated by seeing her in person.

Hela stops once she's in front of them and she says nothing. She hovers a few feet in the air (maybe she wasn't even touching the ground when she was heading over to them). Her face softens a little as if she was studying them. She glances at the three of them but her focus is mainly on Sigyn and Apollo for obvious reasons. Then, she lands on her feet and her dark hair rests on her shoulders.

"Explain yourselves," Hela states.

"We claim guest rights," Apollo replies.

* * *

 **I'm sorry, but Apollo in that last part is me.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- how could the Goddess of Death possibly help them? That is, if she even plans to…**


	124. What Happened in Asgard: Part Twelve

**To: Guest DCDGojira - Sorry to inform you that Captain Marvel and that special wall-crawler will not be in this story. However, I do have other stories on my profile with them in it.**

 ** _Recap_** **\- Apollo, Freya, and Sigyn have finally arrived in Hel and are face-to-face with Hela**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Four: What Happened in Asgard Part Twelve

 _Hel - Months Ago_

Hela puts her hands on her hips, unpleased with their sudden and impolite entrance. "This is my realm and I do not recall extending you an invitation. Although, I have been expecting you for a later time and in a different state, and you did claim guest rights _after_ abolishing my fleet, so welcome."

She opens one arm out as a welcoming gesture, showing off her realm. Even when the skeletons were put together and fighting, the realm wasn't necessarily attractive to look at. Everything was shades of black and grey, dusty and dead, sharp and jagged. The nature itself is a hazard - if it could even be called nature. Nothing in the realm is alive except for them.

"Ah, yes," Hela says. "It is not much to look at but why should your future graves be attractive? You'd be corpses." She glances at Apollo and Sigyn who are speechless. Then, her eyes go towards Freya. "Possibly not your grave. You might be blessed enough to get to go to Valhalla."

Hela caresses a lock of Freya's long hair. Freya stares at her for a second before pulling back. She isn't scared but she wasn't exactly comfortable either.

"You were expecting us - or, expecting them?" Freya asks.

"Yes," Hela replies, "mostly after Ragnarök, but I assumed they might show up beforehand. Although, I will not kick you out. He did claim guest rights." Her eyes look towards Apollo and Sigyn and she smiles in an eerie nostalgic way. "Oh, my...I have not seen you two since you were babies..."

"Babies?" Sigyn questions, a little weirded out.

Hela nods. "Loki and Amora kept you here for a bit before he took you away and Apollo was born here."

"Oh god..." Apollo mumbles, remembering back to when they were teenagers and learned all about how he and Sigyn were connected since birth as well as his horrifying birth story.

"We were born and will live the afterlife here..." Sigyn mutters sourly. "How _fascinating_. The circle of life is ironically the circle of death in our cases."

"Hela," Apollo says, focusing back on The Goddess of Death and ignoring his cousin. "Aside from your army cleaning out Midgard, what is your involvement in Ragnarök?"

"I was a part of the making of Ragnarök," Hela says. "The other gods and I discussed our roles and the walkthrough of that special day. Not only would I be yours and Sigyn's keeper in the afterlife, if all goes to plan, but The Midgard Serpent is my pet. I put it there when the gods created Midgard."

An uncanny smirk crawls on her face just like fear does on the surface of Apollo's skin. Not only was he in the realm of where his dead soul was supposed to go, but he was in the presence of someone who created Ragnarök and The Midgard Serpent. His fear responds in anger, gripping the handle of his axe.

"Stop Ragnarök from happening or I will kill you!" Apollo says, holding his axe up towards her.

Hela didn't even react to the weapon, his threat or the building storm clouds up in her dark sky. She just stares at the sharp blade for a moment before locking eyes with Apollo.

"Dude!" Sigyn yells, lowering his arm and the axe along with it. "We didn't come here to kill her!"

"No, you and Freya didn't come to kill her. I will kill anyone involved with Ragnarök!"

"Perfect!" Hela folds her hands together. "You're involved in Ragnarök and so is Sigyn. That will be a blessed victory for the Gods."

Apollo immediately closes his mouth, lost for words. Sigyn's face turns pale in a second as she looks up at Hela completely horrified. Hela, on the other hand, smiles at them.

"Ragnarök must happen," Hela says, sounding like The Norns themselves.

"No!" Apollo yells.

"Let me finish," Hela says. "You Asgardians are always so brash that you fail to listen to reason. Anyways, the gods originally intended for a newly purified world to come at some point in time. I had no interest in pursuing that because if the mortal and Asgardian world needed purifying, then they don't deserve a world because they will only mess it up again. Makes sense, right? They're dishonourable; hence my realm. So, the gods and I created Ragnarök as a test to see if those lives deserve a rebirth. We each had the chance to nominate our champions to represent us in the final battle. The gods picked Apollo for being born of an Asgardian and Midgardian."

"Then why am I involved?" Sigyn asks.

Hela shrugs, keeping her grin on her face. "My guess is that you had prophecy separate from Ragnarök where you become the most powerful in all the realms and Apollo would kill you as a way to stop you. But, when writing Ragnarök, the gods realized that Apollo can't kill you if he's dead, so that is why you're a part of Ragnarök. He will kill you first and then kill himself."

"Stop me from what?"

"You tell me."

Sigyn pauses. She has a plan to make Ragnarök happen but Apollo wouldn't kill her just to prevent her from making that happen. He wants to stop Ragnarök or fight against The Midgard Serpent. But he wants to protect her, right? Not to the same extent as his own life but his intentions still exist, right? Is it possible that he's so desperate to get his way that he _would be_ willing to kill her? The real scary part is that she has to ask herself that question.

"That sucks..." Sigyn mutters.

"Sounds like it doesn't," Hela responds.

Sigyn narrows her eyes at her.

"But that still does not answer why Apollo has to be the one to kill Sigyn," Freya says.

"Nothing is ever truly answered..." Hela mutters, starting to circle around them. "But in the gods' defence, they never pictured Thor and Loki to be on friendly terms with one another let alone have Thor take Sigyn in. They have already been tampering against their ancestors in that way. In a perfect world, Sigyn would have teamed up with me since she would've wanted to live, but she became too Midgardian..."

Sigyn feels tears start to form in her eyes. She inhales a shaky breath and slowly exhales.

"What do you expect to find here?" Hela asks them.

"Stop Ragnarök," Apollo says softly, basically begging. "Please. I am no champion. I will leave your pet alone as long as it does the same to me."

"Darling, if you want to stop Ragnarök, just don't start it."

"But I still don't understand how I'm supposed to start it."

"You will start it when you're ready."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure."

"That's not helpful."

"Perfect," Hela states. She pulls back her hair as if she was going to tie it up. She bunches it behind her head and it constructs itself in a headpiece that looked more extravagant than a crown. It resembled the dead and tangled branches that could be all over the trees in Hel. It certainly fits her realm.

And again, Sigyn is amazed by her. "Can you teach me that?"

"You have a crown?"

"It's not mine, but you should see me in it."

Sigyn mimics Hela's trick and her hand glow with her magic. Instantly, The Serpent Crown appears on her head and Apollo immediately whacks it off. Sigyn pushes him over and goes over to pick it up, checking it for damage and dusting it off. Apollo glares at her and Sigyn makes a portal with one hand and throws the crown through it. When her portal closes, she brushes her hands off on her dress.

"Is it back home?" Freya asks her.

"Yes," Sigyn says, grinning.

"Has my father been here?" Apollo asks, focusing back on Hela.

"No," Hela replies. "Thor would never visit Hel. I encourage Ragnarök unlike him so why would I be of use? But you and I, Apollo, are on the same page. I believe in your desire to fight The Midgard Serpent."

Apollo looks up. He's a bit confused but feels a little hopeful. "You do? Even if it's yours?"

Hela nods. "My Serpent has a vulnerability that I can't fix. If given the chance, I would've chosen you as my champion."

Before Apollo could exclaim out of joy, Freya pulls him to the side, excusing them. Hela nods, smiling to herself as she respectively gives them their space.

"See, Hela wants us to fight!" Apollo whispers excitedly at her.

"I am not saying that you don't have a chance but she is only saying that because she'll have a higher chance at winning with those odds," Freya replies, looking at Hela before facing Apollo again. "Hela is manipulating you, getting on your good side by playing to your ego."

"How could you say such a thing?!"

"Did you not listen to a word she said?! She is your _antagonist_. The Midgard Serpent is _hers_."

"But I _will_ win."

Freya grunts as she rolls her eyes. "You won't! Put your pride away for one second and trade it for common sense."

Their argument stops when Sigyn tries and fails to hold back her laughter. Hela unexpectedly laughs at them.

"I have not been this entertained in centuries," Hela beams. "I applaud you, Ragnarök participants, for bringing a smart one since you both are so stupidly ignorant. She should've been the chosen champion instead."

Sigyn is offended that she just got called stupid and ignorant, and Apollo gets defensive over Freya. Hela coos him sarcastically as he pats his head with one hand and Freya's with the other. Then, she looks at Sigyn and saunters over to her.

"You, Daughter of Evil," she points at Sigyn. "It's interesting to see that you two are working together. The son of Thor and the daughter of Loki, the latter destined to die at the hands of the former - _her own cousin_ who is basically her brother. My, my, Ragnarök makes strange allies."

"We are not allies," Apollo tells her. "Well, we're barely allies. I'm actually not sure at this point."

"Doubt that..." Hela mutters.

"I am not my parents. I am my own being," Sigyn replies.

"I know. I heard what you did to your mother."

"You know?"

Hela nods her head. "Every realm knows. Thor had to consult with his officials about not convicting you for a vengeful murder and a power grab. Maybe that is why you're destined to die at Apollo's hand. They knew from the start that you would execute her. A life for a life, it's as simple as that. You are not as innocent as Thor believes you are. Amora's spirit is here if you'd like to say hello."

Sigyn shakes her head, her voice starts to tremble. Maybe if she didn't kill her mother all those years ago, her hands would've been washed clean. That was all because she lost control of her emotions and her power - and now look at what she's done. But the gods must have known that she would have done that. Otherwise, why else would her name be scrawled in Ragnarök?

"I'm good," Sigyn mutters in response to Hela's offer.

"You know very well that because of your blood - "

Sigyn's voice hardens. "Just quit talking and help us, dammit!"

Hela pauses for a moment before smiling sourly. "On your exterior, there is nothing, not even the dread of death. You're just like Loki and Amora. They are such persuasive speakers - one moment flattering, threatening the next."

Sigyn swallows her trembling fear. "You're wrong, Hela. I am not siding with Apollo. I want Ragnarök to happen as it's written."

Hela tilts her head a little in disbelief, shaking it. "Lies, lies. Though I cannot tell if you're lying to me, Apollo, Freya, or to yourself. Just know that stretching the truth always does more harm than good. You didn't choose to be created. The Gods believed that your mixed heritage of magic could ironically bring something good, that the power inside of you might be turned into a better purpose. The same applies to Apollo with being both Asgardian and Midgardian. And now, you're both being screw-ups which is probably also why they destined you both to die so the rest of the realms could live. What a waste of strength and power..."

* * *

 **Was Hela being truthful in her words? Will she be of any assistance?**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- Apollo will try to prove if he is truly destined by fate to die at Ragnarök.**


	125. What Happened in Asgard: Part Thirteen

**To Guest DCDGojira: I am happy to answer any questions you have. And, sorry to also say that Doctor Strange will also not be in this story. The only Avengers in this series are the original six, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Black Panther.**

 ** _Recap -_** **After arriving in Hel, Hela explained her role in Ragnarök and is now possibly manipulating them.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Five: What Happened in Asgard Part Thirteen

 _Hel - Months Ago_

"You are so weak and pathetic," Hela spits in Sigyn's face. "You are not convincing me of the power fate allowed you to possess. However, I still see a fighter and an unlucky one at that. And from such a young age, you have been fighting alone this whole time. You need to show your power and only serve to yourself and not the gods."

"I can't…" Sigyn mutters.

"You are more than powerful enough. You can fight alongside Apollo and win…"

Sigyn shakes her head. "I am going to die and you cannot manipulate me."

Hela wrinkles her eyebrows. "You're a strange one, Lokisdottir. You don't understand the full extent of your power and won't accept that there's a way around it."

"No!" Sigyn exclaims as Apollo yells, "Yes!"

The two of them look at each other, completely forgetting that Hela was trying to manipulate them. Now, it was if every argument they've ever had for the past seven years was coming back only to be repeated for the billionth time. The issue that has always been present for them was that they were both stubborn. Apollo and Sigyn would refuse to listen to the other and only accept their own beliefs as the right way.

"You will not defeat The Midgard Serpent with your axe," Sigyn tells him. Her voice hardens as if her conversation with Hela never happened.

"Watch me," Apollo replies. "It will be okay, we'll get through this."

"It's not going to be okay!" She yells. "If you keep telling yourself that you'll just aim your axe at The Midgard Serpent and it'll slither away, you're wrong. You can't even face the monster in a dream what more for real life. You're wrong about thinking we could escape it. You're wrong about all of this! Hela doesn't care about us. She wins either way! She either takes our souls or her pet eats Midgard while Asgard burns to a crisp."

"You wanted to come here for months now! You're making this worse."

"I'm saying what I have to." Her shoulders drop and her voice loses its desperation. "I understand that you want to feel like you're ready - like we're both ready. But, Apollo, we are never going to feel that way."

As they continue a variation of the same conversation/argument they've had for years, Freya stands back and watches. She keeps a straight neutral face and almost doesn't notice Hela standing next to her. Freya scoots over, turning the upper half of her body to look at Hela who keeps her eyes on Sigyn and Apollo.

"Even with the two of them and their respective situations, I pity you the most," Hela says, finally looking at Freya.

"You do?" Freya asks.

"Yes, you are friends with her and in love with him. Ragnarök must ache in your soul."

Freya says nothing. Her expression loosens up a little.

"They both wanted you here which feels nice, right?" Hela asks rhetorically. "Feeling like people want you around is powerful on its own but at least you're not in any of their shoes because having someone who knows you better than you know yourself is wonderfully dangerous. But, let's focus on him because the Lokisdottir gives me a migraine."

"What about him?" Freya asks.

"Have you ever wondered what love feels like? Another person's hand in yours, another person's mouth pressed to yours, another person who has permission to touch you - "

Freya's voice tenses up. "What are you getting at?"

"You will go unappreciated by people who don't deserve you. Both of them will _die_. You and I both know that. Ragnarök is making itself happen. Sigyn and Apollo's contrasting motives are what will get the fight started only to end."

Freya's grip on her sword tightens. "Stop."

"But at least he talks to you because I can't blame him. No man in any realm can keep secrets from a woman like you."

The metal on Freya's sword slices against its carrier on her waist. "You will gain nothing from trying to play with my mind."

Hela scoffs a little. "I don't have to. I'm glad you came to my realm."

Hela grins as she turns back to face Sigyn and Apollo. Freya keeps her grip on her sword, preparing herself to use it because she has a feeling in her gut that she will have to use it. Her eyes turn back to Sigyn and Apollo, keeping Hela in her peripheral vision.

"Think about it," Sigyn starts, "your father wants Ragnarök to happen. Why else would he spend your entire life searching for me and then have _me_ get the crown? He is willing to take your place and you would never even _think_ of doing the same. You are too much of a coward! You are not worthy of being his son."

"You want to talk about parents?!" Apollo screams.

"Please, throw whatever you want about my parents! Nothing can be less painful than that."

"No matter how much pain I'm in if I give up now, everyone who ever stood in my way wins!" Apollo yells.

"Nobody is in your way!" Sigyn replies. "I'm not even in your way, you could do whatever you want! Do you want to prove that we can work our ways around our fates? Then prove it to me. Prove it!"

Apollo is hesitant as he steps back from her. He turns around and his back faces all of them. Apollo looks down and sees Hela's destroyed fleet from when they arrived. He sees a dagger in the midst of the bones and kneels down to pick it up. He flips the handle around and doesn't feel anything towards doing this at all. _What better way to prove Sigyn wrong than doing this? Also, if it works, it will get him out of Ragnarök. What a win-win situation. Why has he never thought of this before?_

"Ragnarök cannot happen if I am not here to start it," Apollo mutters.

"What are you talking about?" Sigyn asks, suddenly feeling wary.

Apollo turns around and casually shrugs at Freya. He looks at Sigyn and mutters an apology. His hand tightens around the dagger and what happens next was too fast for any of them to stop him: Apollo stabs himself with the dagger right in his heart. He did it with so much strength and power that it pierced through his armour and his body. He falls to his knees as the armour around the stab wound as it starts reddening, his hand still firm on the dagger's handle.

Freya screams as she runs over to Apollo, passing Sigyn and dropping to her knees in front of Apollo. She cries as she tries to stop the bleeding, yelling for help from Sigyn and even Hela. Freya turns back and sees Sigyn standing there, trying to move over there but her entire body is frozen. Freya returns her gaze towards Apollo, holding down on his wound with one hand and her other now-bloodied hand on his face.

"I love you, okay?" Apollo tells her so softly that only Freya can hear him. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"What was that for?" Freya asks, her tears falling on him. "Did you think this through? Clearly not!"

"To get Sigyn to fully understand what she wants."

Freya shakes her head. "You went too far."

Apollo grins a little from the corner of his mouth. "I said trust me."

Freya doesn't respond. Apollo uses his free hand and runs a lock of her hair through his fingers, one that almost touches his face. He subtly pushes it to the side and sees Sigyn staring at him blankly, as if she has no idea what just happened so she has no idea what to do. Then, the pain from what he did catches up with him and Apollo lets go of Freya's hair.

Sigyn's mind feels like a clock that's ticking so slow that it bothers her. She just witnessed Apollo do the worst to try and get himself out of Ragnarök. It isn't until this moment in time that Sigyn sees how far he would go. She fears her own death more than anything but seeing this brings a type of pain to her that she doesn't fully understand.

 _In what reality does seeing this make sense?_

Sigyn takes one step forward and suddenly can't breathe. Her insides want to scream, shout, and cry. She stares at Freya applying pressure to Apollo's stab wound. She watches him try to say something to her but then, his head falls back and his hand lets go of the dagger before falling to the ground. Freya lets go and she constantly shakes her head muttering 'no' repeatedly.

Apollo's still not moving. _Did she just watch him kill himself? Did she just make him kill himself? And she thought he was bluffing..._

"Do something…" Sigyn pleads to Hela even though her eyes are still on Freya who's still sobbing over Apollo. "That death wasn't honourable but cowardly so his soul should be here. Get it and give it back to him. I can never look at Thor, Jane or Freya the same way again if you do nothing. I can never return to Asgard knowing that I made him do this. I can never return to Midgard for the same reason. Hela, please."

"Your eyes and your spells are bright green," Hela says over her shoulder, looming above Sigyn. She just bypassed everything that Sigyn just said and the other woman won't comment on it because there was no point anymore.

"So?" Sigyn questions apathetically, still staring at Apollo's body. "Did you hear nothing that I just said?"

"A colour meaning life. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"The irony is that _you_ are the one telling me about life, Goddess of Death." Sigyn takes a shaky breath, still looking at Apollo and Freya. "Help him, please, I will do anything…"

"Anything?" Hela asks as her voice curls up a little.

Hela cackles until Sigyn can no longer hear her anymore. Hela didn't stop her laugh, Sigyn just stopped being able to hear it. All she can hear is the uncontrolled beats of her heart rumbling in her ears. She takes deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down but the events of the past few moments keep on playing in her mind, making her heart beat faster and faster the longer she stares at Freya screaming and becoming more drenched in Apollo's blood.

"Anything…" Sigyn exhales in a whisper.

* * *

 ***coughs* so much unintentional foreshadowing *coughs***

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- Will Sigyn have to make a deal with Hela in exchange for Apollo's life? Or will Hela continue to play more games with them?**


	126. What Happened in Asgard: Part Fourteen

**To: Guest DCDGojira - I have seen the FFH trailer and, boy, did it give me mixed emotions. Also, I have no plans for adding a web warrior mostly because this story will only focus on the main PNG group and their problems and adding more to the mix will be a lot. Lastly, I already have a final arc planned with their kids so, stay tuned for that ;)**

 ** _Recap_** **\- Apollo and Sigyn got into another argument where she demanded him to prove that they could escape their fates. He ended up stabbing himself to death and Sigyn made a deal with Hela to do whatever it takes to make sure he's alive.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Six: What Happened in Asgard Part Fourteen

 _Hel - Months Ago_

"Wow…" Hela mutters a little surprised as she looks at Sigyn. She walks in front of her so that Sigyn is looking at her instead of Freya over Apollo's corpse. "You must be truly desperate."

Sigyn looks up into Hela's eyes with cold tears forming in them, distorting her vision of the Goddess of Death. "Do something."

"I can't."

"I'll kill you."

"You won't."

"Don't bet on it." Sigyn's hand glows as she balls it into a tight fist. Her sharp fingernails dig into the palm of her hand. "I killed my mother, remember?"

"Doesn't mean you'll do the same to me. I am on the side of wanting you and Apollo to survive Ragnarök."

Sigyn dims her hand and a tear rolls down her cheek as her face weakens. "Then what was the point of my word?"

Hela scoffs a little in pity for the young woman. "Oh, Sigyn, your poor cousin tried to take his own life to prove a point and prevent Ragnarök. And now, he is dead and staining my land with his blood. But if you can only die at his hand and him in the body of The Midgard Serpent, then what makes him think he can escape that easily? The Gods certainly won't allow such an escape, would they?"

Hela's words echo in Sigyn's mind as images of Apollo stabbing himself and dropping dead appear. Then, she remembers all those instances where she almost died in cases other than Apollo, and why she's still alive today.

 _His death is written somewhere else._

Sigyn snaps back into reality and skips by Hela. She runs up to Freya and pulls her back from Apollo by the shoulders. At that moment, a white power emits from Apollo's body. It cleans up any trace of his self-inflicted wound and he sits back up. Sigyn sighs out of relief and Freya is stunned. Hela applauds in the background as Apollo coughs.

"That took longer than I thought it would…" Apollo says. Sigyn's face flickers with anger because he planned this.

"You jerk!" Sigyn says, chucking a ball of her magic at him.

Apollo holds up an arm to block her. "Now you know why you should be on my side! You want to see that?!"

"I just hate you even more now!"

Hela clears her throat to stop their argument and have all attention back on her. The three of them look her way and Apollo crawls up to Freya and holds her arm from behind.

"Oh, what a show Ragnarök will be…" Hela mutters. "You two spitting insults one another while my pet eats away at Midgard? Quality entertainment, if I say so myself."

"We came here for a way out," Sigyn states, standing up and facing Hela. She holds out two fists of her magic ready to blast. "Give us what we want right now."

Hela looks past the threat. "Darling, I gave you both all I can. You even gave me your word that you will do anything to make sure that your cousin is alive."

"Then tell me."

"Fight."

Hela vanishes into thin air. Sigyn turns back to Freya and Apollo, knowing damn well that she messed up due to Apollo's dead body trying to make sense in her mind. She was distracted and she blames him for that even if she won't say so aloud.

"Sigyn…" Apollo mutters. "What have you done?"

"I made a promise with her because you decided you had to stab yourself to prove a point!" Sigyn replies. "It's your fault that she tricked me!"

"What do you have to do?"

"Fight."

"That's what I've been telling you to do this whole time!"

"Shut up for a minute!"

Suddenly, Hela comes soaring down from the sky with a horn in her hand. She blows into in and a deep echoing sound fills the realms. It sounds deafening and shakes the ground below them. The three of them struggle to be able to stay on their feet until the sound stops. Hela lowers her horn and opens her arms wide.

"Rise, my fleet!" Hela exclaims, lifting her arms up in the air. "Show our guests a sneak preview of our special day."

Hela vanishes again and a black fog starts forming on the ground. Sigyn, Apollo, and Freya are all on their toes as they hear bones and metal clicking together. Slowly but surely, Hela's skeleton army starts rebuilding and rearming, preparing themselves for a battle against them. Apollo calls on his axe and the elements in the sky, Freya pulls out her sword, and Sigyn brushes back her hair before lighting up her fists with her magic.

"Shouldn't she save those for the big day?" Sigyn asks sarcastically.

"She probably has an endless storage," Freya mutters.

"This will be easy," Apollo says, rolling his shoulders back and summoning his axe.

Some of the skeletons are already finished building themselves and start heading their way. Freya and Apollo prep their weapons as Sigyn stands and watches them.

"Shall we?" Freya asks, opening her arm towards the oncoming fleet.

Apollo mocks her gesture. "After you."

"I insist, dear Apollo, you just came back to life."

Apollo smiles at her and Freya laughs a little. If Sigyn didn't ship them so hard, she would've rolled her eyes. Only those two would smile at each other in the pits of Hel after one just resurrected and a fleet of Hela's skeletons come charging at them.

"For god's sake," Sigyn says, cracking her knuckles.

Sigyn moves her hands in a spherical motion before opening them vertically, extending the magic on her fingertips and making a wall of magic. She then curves it into a dome to trap some of them inside. But, more skeletons come at them from behind.

"Keep those ones barricaded!" Freya yells at Sigyn as she and Apollo head the other way.

Sigyn actually makes a portal on the ground of the dome, making all the skeletons fall through. Once that's dealt with, she brushes her hands on her dress.

Freya approaches one and slices its head off with her sword. While the head is in the air, Freya kicks it and it acts as a headshot for another skeleton, knocking it over. She stabs her sword through the rib cage at another and heaves her sword over her head, using it as a battering ram. She sees a fallen sword from one of Hela's warriors and picks it up, now having one for each hand.

With both swords in her hands, Freya charges forwards, slashing her swords vertically at everything in her way. She plants the tips of her sword in the ground and flips in the air like a handstand. Mid-air, she lifts one sword in the air and juts it forward, slicing its upper leg. Freya flips over and lands on the ground again. She swirls both swords over her head like a helicopter to take care of the skeletons coming at her from behind. She keeps one there and stabs one forwards.

Meanwhile, Apollo's muscles respond with effortless speed, instinct guides his movements. He forgets his pain as he barrels through the line of skeletons facing him down, their metal's impact on his body like a weapon being sharpened. This wasn't much of a fight: he hits them and they hit the ground. Apollo holds out his hand to call over his axe but when it's about to land in his hand, he lowers it. His axe flies past him, barrelling through some skeletons that were behind him.

He rolls into a somersault, coming up, glimpsing at sparks from Sigyn's powers glinting from her hands as another shower of bones and armour flies. He could hear Freya's sword hitting the skeletons as they bash into her. He watches as she falls over and one of her swords flies out of her hand and out of her reach.

Sigyn appears in front of it and kneels. The second her hands touch it, the entire sword glows with her magic and she makes it her weapon. If she sliced one skeleton, ten of them went down - but that didn't stop from a hundred more taking its place.

Sigyn drops the sword and backs up, lighting her hands. Apollo and Freya stand on both sides of her as they watch Hela's fleet continue to grow and grow.

"Do you think I could get a second chance?" Sigyn asks Apollo.

"You've burned your second and third chance already," Apollo replies with a small grin forming on the corner of his mouth as he looks at her. "Lucky for you I have a fourth chance available."

"Jerk," Sigyn says.

Friends will always like each other. Sometimes, a family doesn't. But these two will always love each other no matter what and not even their disagreements towards Raganarök will change anything. And in their case, no memory of the past or fear for the future touched them because their minds are full of the present situation which consists of Hela's fleet ready to annihilate them.

"Take us home," Apollo hurriedly commands.

Sigyn opens a portal for Asgard but Hela's dark magic blocks it. After many attempts, the same result occurs. Sigyn curses as she dismisses the portal overall.

"Dammit!" Sigyn exclaims.

"Anyone have a plan?" Freya asks.

Everything they learned from training evaporated from their brains. There was only one thing they could do:

"Run!" Sigyn, Apollo, and Freya exclaim at once before starting towards the cover of the trees.

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- How will this fight repay Sigyn's debt to Hela? Will it?**


	127. What Happened in Asgard: Part Fifteen

**To Guest DCDGojira - The final ace of the story is not for a while. As of right now, this story will go on hiatus again after this arc because I have to plan out the next parts along the way. There will also be another prelude/spin-off for these guys possibly coming out some time by the end of the year (I'll say when it's published). And as for me after this whole series has come to an end, well, I try not to think about those days even though I have. The final end date, in my mind, isn't for a long time. Aside from that, I have lots of other stories to put out there. Thanks for asking :)**

 ** _Recap -_** **Hela unleashed her fleet on Apollo, Sigyn, and Freya. The three of them are now running through the pits of Hel.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Seven: What Happened on Asgard Part Fifteen

 _Hel - Months Ago_

Gasping for air, Apollo, Freya, and Sigyn sprint at top speed ignoring all the branches from the dead trees that snatch and scratch their bodies. Their strength and adrenaline help them to plummet through. As the girls continue to run, Apollo stops. He turns around and sees the oncoming fleet that only continues to grow by the second.

"Apollo!"

He doesn't move. He licks his lips, tasting dust as the grip around his axe tightens. He holds his weapon back and spins it as fast as possible. It generates a rumbling thunder and sparking lightning that builds much more powerful than his weapon. It extends onto his own body as if his flesh was the true power source. Apollo raises his axe and lightning strikes, blinding everyone. When Apollo slams it into the ground, everything in front of him blows up into a chaotic mess that stretches for miles. Everything in its path becomes decimated.

"That's what's going to kill me…" Sigyn mutters, feeling so nauseous that she has to lean against a dead tree trunk.

Freya goes to check on her but stops when Hela appears right before them. She twirls her arms as she walks up to them, letting her power surround her with every step she takes.

"Oh, how I've missed a fight against flesh…" Hela mutters excitedly. "And the fact that it's you makes it all the more irresistible."

Sigyn tastes something sour in her mouth, unsure if it came from Hela's words or Apollo's bold demonstration of power. Maybe both.

Freya screams boldly as she changes for Hela. She slices her sword upwards but Hela blocks it with her forearm. With her torso free, Freya kicks Hela forwards. Hela stumbles back and Freya takes this to her advantage. Freya runs forwards and spins her sword above her head. When she stabs it downwards, Hela jumps back. Freya glances up and sees Hela flick her wrists and two necroswords appear in her hands. Freya's eyes widen as she holds her hands up above her head in an x to block both of them.

Then, she feels Hela's strength on her loosen. Freya glances back for a second and sees Apollo's axe flying their way. Freya immediately flattens herself on the ground as Hela straightens up. She holds out her palm and holds the axe in place mid-air. Hela makes direct eye contact with Apollo, tilting her head a little as if she was studying him. She then curls her fingers and his axe shakes.

Suddenly, Sigyn shoots forwards a blast of her magic, knocking Hela over. When Hela is on the ground, Sigyn creates a spherical dome around her, trapping her in there. Hela slams against the barrier with her dark fists. Sigyn grunts, fighting against her to hold it in place, but Hela smashes it to shards. She is back on her feet and Apollo flies in her direction. Hela pushes both of her hands forwards, sending Apollo back. Freya slides underneath to attack, kicking Hela over.

Hela summons her necroswords again and engages in a sword fight with Freya. Before Apollo could interfere, Sigyn holds his arm, stopping him.

"Hela's barely touching us," Sigyn tells him.

Apollo thinks this though and even though Hela has fought them, they weren't anything too threatening. If anyone is receiving the most hits, it's Freya. Apollo's body tenses up as he realizes why that is.

"…because she can't kill us," Apollo mutters.

Freya's sword flies out of her hand and when she goes to reach for it, one of Hela's necroswords slices a bare spot on her forearm. Freya gasps, holding in the pain as she turns to face Hela.

Before Hela could do anything more, Sigyn knows what she has to do. _She has to do what she really came here for. This is all just a distraction._ Sigyn balls up magic in both of her fists and slams them into the ground. Her magic extends, circling around her but only keeping her and Apollo inside. The winds grow and her magic swirls all around them, Sigyn builds up her walls and suddenly, they are trapped in a cyclone of her power.

"Hela will not help us! I am trying to do what is right!" Sigyn yells at him. "You would understand if you actually thought about this for once!"

Her eyes start glowing an illuminating shade of green, almost as if they make up who she is and the magic she possesses. Apollo feels himself needing to hold himself back from her, gripping his axe in case he desperately needs to use it. He isn't quite sure as to what is going on but he sure as hell did not see this coming.

"I have, Sigyn!" Apollo yells back. "We do have an escape! Hela said so herself!"

"There is none!" Her hair starts to fly all around her, picking up her spell as it grows. "You do not run from the people who need you. You fight for them. You fight beside them no matter the cost or the risk. I assume that you are an expert on sacrifices if your definition of the word consists of saving yourself while the rest of the world gets eaten alive!"

Her wrath simmers, showing through the harsh ripples of her magic that Apollo has to shield himself from. There are times when insanity could be very beneficial but when mixed with anger? That's dangerous. Anger has a beginning and an end. Sigyn was never angry because she has been full of rage. Her emotions burned inside of her like a fire that was there ever since she got banned from Midgard. Not only was she a flame but he'd driven her to the brink of insanity, thereby demonstrating the power that she can have over him and his mind.

Sigyn holds her hands forwards, having her hands in line with her face. In her field on vision, she can see Apollo. Sigyn grits her teeth, crying hot tears as her hands glow even brighter. Sigyn grunts as she feels her power take Apollo's mind; her cousin hunching over and grabbing his own skull and trying to keep it for himself. She feels her fingers prodding around his brain, picking out memories of Ragnarök, The Midgard Serpent, Hela, herself - _the past seven years._ (Or so she thinks…)

Sigyn holds her glowing hands out, taking his mind into her power.

"The next time you see me, Apollo, you will certainly kill me," Sigyn told him before his mind is wiped clean at the force of her magic. "You must fear me and then, you will hate me with a passion. And finally, you will kill me. But that will not stop me from going through with this because it will protect you and everyone else. You'll understand one day, I hope."

She fires her magic at him and he could feel all of his thoughts and memories escaping him at that exact moment.

"Ragnarök must happen…" Sigyn hisses at him as her magic disappears and the two of them are no longer in Hel.

-o-

 _Midgard - Months Ago_

Apollo finds himself face up in a clump of sand. As he awakens, he slowly opens his eyes. The sun is just starting to set and he can smell a strong scent of dust and dryness. He stands up and checks his body to make sure that nothing is wrong. He feels no pain, and his arms and legs are working fine. His clothes aren't rumpled or messed up. In fact, they're a soft sweatshirt and jeans. But he doesn't remember putting this on.

He doesn't remember any of this.

All that he can recall at the moment is his name, his parents, and that he came from Asgard.

Apollo hears footsteps and turns around. He sees a pale woman with golden blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her dress is green and black and covered in dust and blood, but her skin is clean. She slowly walks up to him with a blank expression on her face as if she was holding back what she truly felt.

Apollo has no idea who she is but she seems like she doesn't bring good news.

"Our only hope now is to disappear from Asgard…" She mutters to him.

Apollo breathes heavily. "…save me."

She pauses. Her voice cracks a little. "I - I will." She inhales a little as the wind picks up and blows a strand of her hair in her face. "See you at Ragnarök."

She vanishes in a whirl of her own magic, leaving Apollo in the sand. He couldn't yell for her back because something inside of him stopped him from doing so. His head suddenly feels heavy and dim, and he takes a deep breath before closing his eyes. His mind begins to fade and in seconds, he sinks down into darkness.

-o-

 _Hel - Months Ago_

The moment Sigyn reappears back on Hel, she doesn't even have time to breathe before she feels a cold metal blade across her neck. Sigyn slowly turns around and sees an angered Freya standing before her. A trickle of blood runs down Freya's left temple. Sigyn can only remember seeing her crawl across the ground, leaving a trail of blood across the rocks. And now, she is gratefully alive even if she can't realize that at the moment. Freya doesn't look scared or thankful - she is bitter and enraged with tears of frustration in her eyes.

"So help me, Sigyn, bring him back or I will kill you," Freya threaten.

Sigyn scoffs a little. "You do not have the power to do so."

Freya pulls her sword back a little. "I cannot believe Jane let us come here…"

When Sigyn doesn't respond, Freya catches on. Sigyn was the one who was supposed to tell Jane that they were coming here and she clearly did not do that at all. Freya holsters her sword, keeping her sharp eye contact on her. This was her plan all along: get Apollo to Hel and send him away.

"I can't believe you lied to me!" Freya exclaims.

"Don't take it personally, I lied to everyone," Sigyn replies casually. Before Freya could react, Sigyn raises her hands up to her head in a surrendering motion. "Listen to me, Freya. Listen now. You have to do what I tell you. When I say something, you can't ask _what_. You can't ask _why_. You can't argue. Okay? You have to listen to me."

"After what you just did?!"

"After everything we have seen, after everything we just dared, can you even _slightly_ trust me for just a few more seconds to try and do something right? Apollo was practically bleeding his pain from his pores. It was evident he'd never felt this hurt before in his life. I couldn't keep watching his rage, his fists clench tighter, his teeth grind as he continued to yell. He would have reached the point where he would have _killed me_ just to get me to shut up."

Freya hesitates, letting her tears fall down her face because she knows that Sigyn's words are the truth. "…what do you want me to do?"

"Go back to Asgard and do not tell Thor and Jane the truth."

"We both know that no matter how long I stand in front of you with my sword, I cannot talk you out of whatever it is you have planned so please, do not do anything rasher than what already happened and please come back."

"Thank you…"

Freya gives Sigyn a look. For some reason, Sigyn was able to make Freya a portal to go back to Asgard which worked this time. Once the portal closes, Sigyn finally breathes. Then, she hears heels clicking against the ground, remembering that Hela was still here. She turns around and sees Hela with her arms crossed in a mocked scolding gesture.

"Oh, Sigyn…you have been a very naughty girl…" Hela mutters.

"You're under the impression that I care," Sigyn responds sharply.

"You got rid of Asgard's champion so maybe you are rebelling against Ragnarök. But why Midgard of all realms? Why send him where his demise lies? You could have left him here and gone to your favourite realm yourself."

"I threw The Serpent Crown there in hopes that it will be found by him but the real reason is the same as why I was abandoned on Midgard - to be with the right people. Little did anyone know at the time that the best person and my demise were one and the same."

"Then, why don't you just go back to Midgard?"

"Can't. Apollo banned me."

Hela raises an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure that Apollo will kill you? He has been so committed to protecting you for all these years. He loves you."

"You cannot love what you don't remember."

"You are hurting, I can tell because you love him as well. The amount you love a person is directly proportional to the pain you feel when bad things happen to them."

Sigyn spins around and starts walking away. "I am done talking."

Hela appears in front of Sigyn again. "Face it, Lokisdottir, you have nowhere to go now."

Sigyn fazes through her and continues her trek through the forests of Hel.

What's worse than someone you love dying? She knows something but maybe it's her biased opinion based on experience. It's seeing someone she loves to death looking at her as if she was some stranger. Apollo's everything to her and at that moment in time, she was nothing to him. It was like he was already dead but she could still see and interact with him, even if he wasn't the same person he used to be.

-o-

 _Asgard - Months Ago_

Freya stumbles back on Asgard. She quickly turns around and tries to return to Hel but Sigyn's portal is already gone. Freya quickly wipes the tears from her face and takes a few moments to compose herself while standing in the palace hallways. Once she feels as good as she'll ever be, she runs to the throne room and bursts in unannounced. She sees Thor and Jane there with some important foreign ministers. They all stare at her with surprised curiosity. Instead of trying to make her messy appearance more decent, she bows out of respect and continues walking closer to them. Thor eventually excuses the ministers who walk out, closing the door behind them because they could sense that this situation needs their attention.

Before Freya could get a word out, Jane immediately starts questioning.

"Whose blood is that, Freya?" Jane asks rushed, showing her slight panic. For all she knows: Freya came back covered in blood while Apollo and Sigyn are not present.

Freya looks down at her own body and sees dried blood streaks everywhere. "…I'm not sure."

Some of it was Apollo's from when he stabbed himself and some of it was hers from the battles against Hela and her skeletons. She just got so lost in fighting that, for all she knows, it could've been Sigyn's or even Hela's if she bled. She isn't quite sure as to what patch or streak of blood Jane is referring to.

"Freya," Thor starts, "I need you to do something that might be hard for you."

"What?" Freya questions.

"Stop lying to us."

* * *

 **So that is how Apollo ended up on Asgard with no memory of the past seven years and Sigyn's beginning in Hel. However, we aren't quite done with the Asgard arc yet.**

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **The longer Sigyn stays in Hel, the more her ideas and intentions contradict themselves.**


	128. What Happened in Asgard: Part Sixteen

**_Recap_** \- **After a final battle on Hel, Sigyn left Apollo on Midgard without his memories of the past seven years and sent Freya back to Asgard. Now, Sigyn remains in Hel.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Eight: What Happened in Asgard Part Sixteen

 _Asgard - Weeks Ago_

Thor paces back and forth in the throne room, rubbing his beard in frustration. Jane stands worriedly beside him, her face pale and blotchy as her eyes are rimmed red. She has obviously been crying. Thor sort of looks the same but he hides his emotions better since someone had to be the strong one. In front of the two of them is Freya. Her eyes follow Thor's steps, seeming passive to whatever their current situation may be. In his hands is The Serpent Crown that he recently got from Midgard.

Freya told Thor that The Serpent Crown was missing when she got back from Hel. Then, Thor ordered Heimdall to be on the lookout for it. Heimdall finally found it a few weeks after, when Apollo and Sigyn's friends from Midgard had it in their possession. Thor went to claim it from them.

"This damned crown…" Thor grumbles miserably, staring daggers into the artifact.

"Do they have Apollo or Sigyn with them?" Jane asks desperately.

Thor shakes his head, not even looking at his wife. "They asked me how _Apollo and Britney_ were. I could not lie to them so I said I wasn't sure."

Jane looks at the ground and tears fall out of her eyes. Thor feels the same way as she and Freya can't help but feel guilty for letting this happen. It was bad enough that Ragnarök was going to take their kids away and now they have to deal with their disappearance earlier than expected.

"Where are my children?" Thor asks.

It takes Freya a moment to realize that Thor was talking to her. She clears her throat and refocuses. Even if he meant that rhetorically, it still felt as if it was aimed at her.

"I wish I knew the answer," Freya replies honestly.

"You were the last one to see them, Freya. They know better than to run and you knew better than to let them. There was no escaping this. I could not find anything and Heimdall cannot find them."

"Thor, Jane, I was the last one with them. Sigyn sent Apollo away and then she sent me back here. I do not know what they were planning if they even had a plan. They knew that running away would make no difference but that is why they did it. They wanted to go to the extreme to find a loophole so that's what they did. That is why they are not here. Is that not why you left as well?"

Thor squares at her, unable to answer. Freya stares at him with furrowed brows and a sturdy stance, holding herself to the same level.

"Freya..." Jane mutters weakly.

"Are we not all running from it?" Freya questions rhetorically. "At least we are fortunate to not have our damn names written!"

Freya turns around and leaves. Thor and Jane call for her but she doesn't turn around. She tries to hold herself together but ends up bringing a hand to her mouth to muffle her cries and catch her tears. She can't help but feel emotional towards this.

"Come home, Apollo," she mutters to herself angrily. "Find Sigyn and please come home..."

-o-

 _Hel - Weeks Ago_

Sigyn lies on a fallen tree trunk, staring up at the dark sky. Hel had no concept of day or night. Time would just pass and Sigyn had no clue or interest on keeping track of it because she saw no point in doing so. She had nothing to do here because she didn't know what to do. There's nothing but darkness and the idea of it all seems crazy. But then, _everything_ about her seems crazy. Maybe the only thing she can do is lose her mind…

Sigyn hears footsteps approaching her and she doesn't have to look to know that it's only Hela.

"You have nothing to do in here," Sigyn tells her.

Hela stands right above Sigyn, staring down at her. Her dark hair isn't in its crown. "This is the gathering of the dishonourable dead. Only I like it here so I'm not surprised that you're bored." She tilts her head but keeps her gaze on her. "You're pathetic."

Sigyn exhales. "I know."

"Did you know that your mortal friends - if I can even call them that - found The Serpent Crown and Thor went to claim it?"

Sigyn tenses up a little. She sits up and puts her feet on the ground. "Now they know something is wrong…"

"Because something is wrong."

"Apollo was supposed to find it."

"Kind of hard to do when he doesn't know anything."

"I need them to find Apollo."

Before Hela could respond, Sigyn is already on her feet. She summons her magic and conjures up magical holograms of her friends. When she sees their faces, she almost drops what she's doing. Just seeing their faces for the first time in seven years makes her freezes, even if it isn't really them. She can't even face these holograms without thinking about what she did.

But she regains focus. She extends her fingers out and gets a grasp on her minds.

"You have to save him…" She mutters before it becomes too much for her and she wipes them away.

Hela looms in the place where they were and Sigyn freaks out and runs away. She finds herself being haunted by her words and her friends. She keeps on repeating that phrase on saving him even though she did that to save him which ultimately put him in more danger (depending on how you see it).

Apollo wanted to save himself from Ragnarök. He wanted to save her from Ragnarök. Sigyn wanted to save Asgard and Midgard from Ragnarök. She wanted to save him from dying.

 _She can't handle these paradoxes._

 _But this is her plan…right? That's why she took away Apollo's memories and left him on Midgard, right? So she can figure out a way to start Ragnarök and have it go the way it was written, right?_

 _Did she actually make a mistake?_

Sigyn stops running and Hela lands in front of her. She looks up at the Goddess of Death, tired but motivated.

"I'm going to start Ragnarök," Sigyn tells her.

Hela laughs so hard that she has to sit on a rock to keep herself together. She eases down and crosses one leg over the other to look at Sigyn and try to understand what she wants.

"You really want to die faster and spend the rest of your afterlife in this realm?" Hela questions. "You just said that you were bored here."

Sigyn shrugs.

"Oh, come on," Hela encourages, "you can't be _that_ ready to die."

"Just tell me how to start Ragnarök," Sigyn commands.

Hela sighs. "I already told you. I don't know how to start it. Apollo is the only one who can ignite it. Besides, Apollo's still scared of it so I doubt that it's coming anytime soon."

"I took away his memory of it. He can't fear what he can't remember."

"He can. And let's say that Ragnarök comes when he still doesn't have his memories, under the assumption that he somehow started i. He will just be scared of it at that moment."

"It will scare him less."

"But he won't know that he has to sacrifice himself to win."

"Why do you care? That will benefit you and like you said, in the perfect world, we'd be on the same side."

"But you won't benefit."

"Why do you care about that?"

"I don't."

"Then just tell me!" She screams so loud that her magic fires out of her hands unconsciously. She then takes a breath in an attempt to calm down but can't do so completely. She ends up choking on a sob. "I know you know because after he starts it, you bring your troops to Midgard and your stupid pet comes to the surface. How would you know to show up if you didn't know what to expect as the start of Ragnarök?"

Hela pauses for a moment, folding her hands together and resting them on her knee. "Lokisdottir, you were brought here for many reasons. Listen to me."

"Why? To find a way out? Because I still don't know how and you're terrible at helping," Sigyn responds. "There is no way out of this twisted gift of fate. And why are you, _Goddess of Death_ , so adamant on me changing my fate? That part of my identity is long-gone ever since Ragnarök made its way in."

"Because, _Asgardian screw-up_ , you are a pest in my realm right now. If your soul were to be here, I would be haunted for eternity. And, I am not talking about your stupid fate or destiny. I am talking about survival."

"As if those could co-exist."

"Well - "

Frustrated by Hela's constant and empty words, Sigyn unleashes her magic on Hela. Before she could strike her, the Goddess of Death grabs Sigyn's wrist. Sigyn's hand spasms in her grip as she tries to overpower her. Hela feels something cold on her fingertips and she looks at Sigyn's wrist only to see a simple silver charm bracelet. Hela slightly loosens her grip as she turns Sigyn's wrist, examining the charm bracelet and muttering the letters of the four charms as she notices them. The moment she lets go, Sigyn pulls her wrist back, guarding her bracelet with her other hand.

"You can't hurt me anymore," Sigyn says, starting to tremble. "Not that you should try nor should I let you."

"You have an interesting bracelet," Hela tells her. "It doesn't look Asgardian so may I take a guess that it's from Midgard?"

Sigyn ignores her. She looks down at her wrist to check on her bracelet and it's no longer there. Her heart stops. She looks up at Hela to see her with the bracelet in the palm of her hand.

"No!" Sigyn exclaims.

Angry tears fly out of her eyes as she lunges forwards but Hela pulls her hand back. She uses her free hand to hold up a defensive wall of her dark magic, blocking Sigyn from approaching her. Sigyn pauses, holding up two fists of her own magic. Her eyes are full of rage.

"Please stop getting salt on my land, dear Sigyn," Hela says. "Do not worry about your bracelet. I will return it in perfect condition."

"Give me that bracelet back," Sigyn grits through her teeth.

"You said you will do anything for your cousin."

"That bracelet has nothing to do with him."

Hela nods her head with a grin on her face. "I know."

She vanishes, leaving Sigyn rubbing her empty wrist. She's unable to process what just happened. That bracelet was from Xavier more than seven years ago and she hasn't taken it off since he gave it to her. She feels lost and confused without it, almost as if she doesn't know who she is or what she's doing anymore.

She tries to hold it in. God knows she really did. She's just so tired of not being able to have control of her own body. Although she's pushed Asgard and Midgard away, she knows that going back would also mean seeing everyone again which she will not be able to settle with because of everything that's happened.

Then, her mind drifts to Xavier. She never thought about seeing him again because, for a long time, it seemed impossible. Before, she would picture bumping into him but then what? Sigyn assumes that she would feel nothing. Nothing at all. No fear, no joy, not even a haunting sickness in the deepest pit of her stomach.

* * *

 **A lot of you may be confused about where Sigyn stands when it comes to Ragnarök and the point is that she doesn't know what she truly wants.**

 ** _Stay Tuned_** **\- With the final chapter of the Asgard arc coming to a close, what did Hela do to absolutely break Sigyn…**


	129. What Happened in Asgard: Part Seventeen

**This is the last chapter of for the Asgard arc. This has been a lot.**

 **Also, I am excited about the Black Widow movie!**

 ** _Recap_** **\- after some time in Hel, Sigyn continued to provoke Hela into telling her how to start Raganrök. In response, Hela took Sigyn's charm bracelet and vanished.**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Twenty-Nine: What Happened in Asgard Part Seventeen

 _Hel - Weeks Ago_

Sigyn hasn't been through this before but she knows that Apollo has: being aware of being in the middle of her own dream.

She is Amber, running through an unknown city, searching for help. She looks down at a puddle on the ground and gets a glimpse of her reflection: her golden blonde hair drapes down her filthy white nightgown. Then, her hands start to shimmer with her magic. It boils past her control and then she appears in a backyard playground.

She feels older and taller. She feels like Crystal. She looks out from the top of the playground set and runs across it. She slides down the slide that goes on forever. She screams as her speed accelerates. Her magic starts streaming out of her hands until she feels herself shoot in water.

She's underwater. She can't breathe. She can't swim.

She stays in one spot, holding her breath.

In the distance, she sees a spark of light that appears and disappears as fast as it came. She tries to swim for it but her arms and legs aren't coordinated with each other in the water. Frustrated, she ends up screaming and not caring about all the wasted air that's now leaving her lungs. Locks of her hair gravitate to her field of vision and her golden locks turn black.

The water drains and, suddenly, she's standing on her feet again. Her body is as dry as a bone for some reason and she looks like she's in Hel's forest. She checks her hair and she still has Courtney's dark hair. She takes a few steps and sees a mirror. The closer she gets, the more she should see her reflection - but it isn't there. Instead, she sees Loki and Amora, _her parents_ , standing with their arms linked. They both grin evilly at her.

In response, she spins the mirror around. On the other side, she's someone else now. She's wearing a cheerleading uniform with a high school varsity jacket with a football in her hands. She spins on the heel of her high tops and looks in the mirror set before her. Sigyn looks forwards and is surprised at her reflection. She doesn't see Sigyn in there but Britney Braun. She sees more colour in her face mostly because Britney Braun had more of a will to live.

 _"Our romance was an adventure and you were the reward…"_

She hears his voice and she turns around. Shivers run down her spine as she looks down at her wrist. Sigyn doesn't see her charm bracelet there and she starts to shake. Hela took it and she still didn't give it back. _Who is she without it?_ Britney Braun in the mirror hears that voice too and smiles so happy. _When was the last time Sigyn smiled like that?_

Sigyn raises her head again and sees Apollo struggling on Midgard. He's surrounded by shadowy figured covered by the dark. They all see unsure of what to do. Sigyn can infer who they are supposed to be but she doesn't think too much of it because her focus is on Apollo. She looks down at her outfit and sees that she's in her black and green Asgardian dress. This only tells her that Sigyn Lokisdottir did all of this, _not_ Britney Braun or any of her other past identities.

"Where is she?!" Apollo yells.

Sigyn jumps back a little. A guilty tear rolls down her face. She knows that he's talking about her but after she took his memories away, she knows that he doesn't know. She wants to go comfort him, let him release his anger upon her because she deserves this. She did this - _but only because she has to or else everything dies. At least…that's what she's telling herself._

Sigyn feels a sudden rush of heat coming from behind her. She turns around and sees The Midgard Serpent slithering behind her. Sigyn steps backwards, keeping her hands prepped with magic just in case. She has to keep telling herself that this is a dream and even though everything that happened before was, this is just foreshadowing. This is Ragnarök and it will happen.

She keeps on walking backwards, keeping her eyes on The Midgard Serpent. Then, she notices something in her peripheral vision and turns to the side. She sees that she is at the end of a line consisting of Amber, Crystal, Courtney, and Britney. All of them are wearing The Serpent Crowns and gazing at The Midgard Serpent before turning to look at her in sync.

"What are you doing?!" Sigyn yells at them. "Run!"

"Listen to yourself, Sigyn," Amber starts.

"It is getting worse in your mind," Crystal says. "You are making the environment in here toxic for us."

"You are giving into your fear by wanting it to happen," Courtney follows. "That will do nothing but worsen it."

"Fear can acquire a life of its own and take yours away," Britney concludes.

The four of them turn away in sync and return their gaze to The Midgard Serpent. They open their arms for it as if they were welcoming it. Sigyn lowers her hands and forces herself to do the same no matter how wrong it feels.

Maybe everything does die - but maybe, somehow, everything that dies suddenly comes back. The world will end but it will inevitably begin again. Humanity will owe its existence to a bit of Asgardian whimsy. To a giant snake.

-o-

Sigyn shoots awake and has to force herself to breathe. She falls off the fallen tree trunk she was sleeping on but remains seated. She looks around Hel and can't help but think that she hasn't really had such intense nightmares until now. She remembered the Norns saying that those who refused their fates often lost their minds but she wanted Ragnarök to start and happen the way it was supposed to, so why was she losing her mind if she was accepting it?

 _"_ _Fear can acquire a life of its own and take yours away."_

The thing is: her fear was Apollo and he is already a life. His fear is The Midgard Serpent and it is already a life. Both of their goals were to kill them. That quote alone was literally Ragnarök in a nutshell.

Sigyn raises her hand to run it through her hair and comb through some tangles, but she stops mid-way. She notices something shining on her wrist - _that flicker of light from her dream_ \- and she sees her charm bracelet. Sigyn should smile because she finally got it back and it looks to be in perfect condition but she can't help but wonder why Hela would give it back to her _now_ , especially since she just woke up from that dream.

Sigyn gets up and starts to run. She doesn't know where to go but she just has to be moving. She doesn't want to be stagnant if Hela were to ever appear.

"Take back what is rightfully yours!" She hears Hela's voice echoing from somewhere.

Sigyn, so exhausted she could barely walk, stops running and leans against a tree near Hela's empty throne to catch a breath she doesn't remember losing. Her dress is covered in dust, its hems torn from thorny branches. While running, she has to fight her way through overgrown yet dead tangles of vines. She reaches a clifftop and measures the distance from the top to the bottom. There are jagged rocks below. If she didn't leap with enough momentum, she would still make it.

Some dust flies into Sigyn's eyes and she can't see. While still running, she crashes into something that came at her. Sigyn flies to the ground, rolling for a bit. She rubs her eyes clean with one hand and holds her magical hand out with the other for self-defence. When her eyes are clean, she looks over and then she sees _him_. _Him_ with a SHIELD uniform and patriotic shield.

 _Xavier Rogers is here._

The adrenaline starts kicking in and she can't breathe. Sigyn can't hear anything that's happening. Her head spins and her heart hurts more than ever. _It's burning_. Her guilt pumps through her veins and starts to eat her alive because from her one mistake came multiple lies. Too much has been going on the whole time and now, it's all spiralling out of control.

She feels her power coursing through her, flooding her mind with terror. Her heart pounds in a fanatic rhythm like a bomb ticking down to explode. Her heart pounds in a frantic rhythm. Cold sweat forms on her brow.

She failed: failed Asgard, Apollo, and now Xavier and her friends back on Midgard.

A wild, gibbering panic slashes her chest. She can't breathe. She wants to run and hide but seeing Xavier only tells her that she can't. She is stuck here _just like she is stuck in her fate_. Everyone back on Asgard was right, Midgardians can't know about Ragnarök. Looking into those beautiful eyes of his makes the words disappear from her mouth.

 _And he looks so happy to see her. She can't understand why she doesn't feel as happy to see him._

She can no longer process this. _She gives up_.

"Britney?" He questions in surprise.

-o-

No matter what they did, Ragnarök was coming. They were planning to fight fate, trying to stop a cataclysmic event that had been foretold. You'd think that because they knew about this in advance, they'd have the advantage.

But no.

The worst pain is knowing what's coming. The most painful pain is not physical pain at all. It's fear. Without it, there would be no sensation of pain. _And fear is what causes pain_. Ragnarök is coming for them and they will be executed in order to save the Realms. That is if they go with the way it was written. They have been warned and resolved to it. The problem is, what would happen if Ragnarök were to start and they weren't ready when they thought they were?

Now, our heroes are scared…and they're going to lose only because of fear. Their world is going to end simply because they don't know what to do.

* * *

 **And now you all know what happened in Asgard. In terms of the story's timeline, the next chapter for this would be chapter 93 (when Xavier is in Hel with Sigyn).**

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **Now that the story of what happened in Asgard has been told, what will the response be?**


	130. Asgard's Aftermath

**I waited till this day to publish this chapter, but HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THIS STORY!**

 **I was rereading some old chapters from Emily's story before I revamped it and one of the chapters I read was Apollo and Britney's farewell. I genuinely hate myself for the evil and sadistic foreshadowing I did.**

 **PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT WE ARE BACK IN THE PRESENT!**

* * *

Chapter One-Hundred Thirty: Asgard's Aftermath

 _Stark Towers - 1:14 PM_

All kinds of things are happening to them: some they chose, most they didn't. At this point, they can't tell which is which. Everything's now decided in advance for them and their actions towards it are only an attempt to make it happen or avoid it.

Humans have a strong desire to know and understand why things happen, especially when everyone wanted to know what happened in Asgard that resulted in Apollo coming back with no memories and Sigyn with the intent of having Apollo kill her to start Ragnarök. They were curious mostly because there was a seven-year gap between the time the Midgardians last saw the Asgardians to today. Now that they got a step-by-step walkthrough on what happened, they all wanted to go back to the start where ignorance and sometimes even curiosity were bliss. They are all struggling to absorb this new turn of events and they heard the events rather than experienced them.

But with all of it out in the open, what more was there to say? Fate can change directions in the way that if they were to run from it, it'll chase after them. Apollo and Sigyn both tried to outrun it in different directions: he wanted a different end and she a different start. But the faster they ran, the more they lost their way and their minds. They got so tired that they started to have delirious periods.

They have all been through too much together for Sigyn to lie, but this was a situation in which they wish she still could instead of apologizing. They understand her intentions and how the seven years affected her mind. Many say that telling one lie results in a thousand more to cover it up, but Sigyn doesn't fall for that one bit. She believes that telling the truth did more damage. Them not knowing what could come delayed a much more dangerous reckoning.

-o-

Nobody knows what to say about what they just learned. There were no words that could be good enough to even empathize what happened and what will happen. Some of them had to take a seat to absorb all that information, Jane was one of them. She and Thor couldn't believe they were oblivious to everything Apollo and Sigyn did for the past few months. They were too busy trying to calm their kids down and settle it diplomatically.

Apollo's heart fills with anger as Sigyn uncomfortably shifts her hands that are still bound in golden chains. He feels hurt and disgusted the more he looks at his cousin, but that is nothing to waste a tantrum on. Protective worrying towards Ragnarök, engaging with his mind, taking the dominant role to his own fate, and _disposing of his mental freedom when she claimed she did_ was worth having a tantrum on.

"In wanting Ragnarök to happen after promising me that we will find a way to stop it, this has ended up being an act of betrayal for your own gain," Apollo tells her with a strong urge in his voice. "I thought you were trying to protect me. Your solution was to hide in Asgard or in Hel whereas mine was to fight! Do not blame me for trying because you said you would be by my side, Sigyn. You gave me your word. I thought you loved me like a brother."

Sigyn's face doesn't budge. It keeps a resting expression that is a mix of regret and sadness. "You forgot to love me like a sister. You wanted to help me find a way out of your destiny to kill me until Ragnarök intervened…and then you only wanted to help yourself."

"What I was doing was an act of self-preservation for the future!"

"Keyword being self!" If her hands weren't chained, she would've thrown them up in frustration. "If my emotions did not get the best of me, I would've been dead by now."

Apollo's frown doesn't soften. "I can only _hope_ that we never have to test that theory again because that was not the first close call."

"Can we please stop arguing?" Sigyn asks with the tiredness evident in her voice. "We have been at this for the past seven years and it got us nowhere except further away from each other."

"I was letting my anger and pain get the best of me and, honestly, I couldn't care less at that point," Apollo confesses. His face contorts a little. "Anger and violence have come to me quickly now more than ever. My instincts overpower my thoughts, but my instinct to keep you alive are far more powerful than my instinct to kill you."

"I think your biggest instinct is keeping yourself alive."

Apollo sighs, ignoring her. He looks at his friends and his parents. "You want to know another secret? The biggest secret of them all?"

Apollo tries to get it out but his knees buckle and he falls to the ground like a doll. He shakes and starts to tear up. He thought that saying it aloud would make him feel better, but he only feels weak and pathetic. His vision blurs so he isn't sure what everyone else around him is doing, but he doesn't care. Sometimes, even the most powerful adhesive can't put a man back together.

"I'm scared!" Apollo yells. "I'm so scared…I am scared of what I have to do to Sigyn, what The Midgard Serpent will do to me, and there being no alternative ending. I tried to find a way out, but there is nothing out there. Everyone expects me to be their strong and brave champion, but I actually have no idea what I'm going to do. And even if I succeed the way Fate wants, Sigyn and I are dead! There are so many people relying on me, people who don't even _know_ that they're relying on me, and now they will die because their hero is nothing more than a selfish coward!"

His vision clears and it's Sigyn kneeling in front of him. He isn't sure how to react to her being so close to him after what she did. However, the way he looks at her now is with steady eyes. He looks to be under control.

"Erasing my memories was never going to change anything," Apollo whispers to her. "Nothing would have just disappeared because I forgot about it. Things are even worse now, I fear, but that's just the life we live."

"Only a coward closes his mind," Sigyn tells him.

" _You_ closed my mind. Throwing an axe is in the mind and that is why you tried to fix mine."

Sigyn nods. "I know. I am repulsed by my own actions. I was giving myself more and less time at once because I want to tell myself that I'm brave when I am far from it. We were both trying to act tough but we were actually being incredibly selfish."

Her cheeks are streaked with tears and she leans forwards to hug him the best she can with the chains around her wrist. The moment her arms figure a way to lock around his neck and his hands go on her back, she beings sobbing in his arms. Some days, she blamed Apollo for her actions. The days in Hel were when she blamed herself. But after retelling all of what happened in Asgard, she realizes that they both deserve the blame: her for the games and lies; him for getting his damaged mind lost in them.

"Everyone thought that it was only you going crazy but I was as well…" She tells him. "I tried to take control: I took your memories and tried to get everyone killed to give you the motive to kill me. I thought that separating myself from all of you would help my plan handle itself but it didn't, in all truth, I lost myself. It took hearing the name _Britney_ again to realize what I was doing."

Sigyn keeps her arms around Apollo but looks up to make sure that she is looking at not only Thor and Jane but all her friends as well.

"I love all of you," she says. "This is probably the best time to tell you all that since I do not want for you to hate or fear me for what I've done. From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry."

Apollo pulls apart from her and holds her by the shoulders to look at her directly in the eye. "Speaking on behalf of all us, you have nothing to apologize for."

-o-

After that tense moment, Thor and Jane pulled both Apollo and Sigyn to the side to have a family talk about what they just revealed. Apollo and Jane stand beside one another, facing his parents. Out of everyone who heard the retelling of the past seven years on Asgard, they were the most distressed because it was their children who were in trouble and even though they were adults, Thor and Jane still saw them as kids. To them: they were kids who tried to solve a big kid problem on their own and ended up getting into more problems than desired.

"I'd rather see humanity's extinction than either of you or Apollo dead," she confesses softly. She looks up at both of them with hot tears in her eyes. "You are more than any bad decision you've both made. Apollo said he was going to save you, Sigyn. He promised and kept it."

Sigyn shrugs. "Humanity owes its extinction to a giant snake."

Apollo shakes a little. "Mom, can we continue this conversation back on Asgard? I want to go back now."

"Seriously?" Sigyn asks. "After everything that's out in the open and all the time you spent with our friends, you want to go home?"

Apollo nods. Sigyn doesn't need to question anything more because she knows: now that Apollo has his memories back, he still fears The Midgard Serpent. And now that they're on Midgard, he wants to get as far away from it as possible. Sigyn can't blame him. After hearing the whole story herself, she wants to run off as well but unlike him, she's heading the opposite direction.

"I'm staying here for a bit," Sigyn tells them. "I'll return soon but I just got here and this is all overwhelming."

"Of course," Jane says. "Just answer this, during your time in Hel, did Hela tell you anything?"

Apollo shakes his head. "She was very contradictory."

"Kind of like me," Sigyn says. "She constantly changed her mind whether she was supporting Apollo's desire or mine. However, I made a promise with her that I would do anything for Apollo's life and all she said to do was fight."

Jane looks at Thor to see if he has any kind of explanation for that. Thor is as stumped as they are.

"I know I changed in Asgard…" Apollo mutters. "I learned a lot about myself and what I want. This time, no matter what, I am going to get it."

"We'll see…" Sigyn says with a small smirk.

Apollo nudges her a little as he walks off with his mother. Sigyn turns her head around and smiles to herself as she watches them go. She assumes that he's going to tell the others that he'll be back soon and to her wishes, he will come back soon and not just hide on Asgard for another seven years. Sigyn looks back at Thor and holds her hands up as high as she could and Thor taps his hammer on her chains, releasing her. Sigyn cheers to herself as she rubs her tense wrists.

"I may have been angry at you and I had a right to be, but what you did to Apollo actually helped him," Thor tells her.

"How so?"

"You made Apollo aware of his actions and showed him the lengths you would go to try and tell him the consequences. For the first time in seven years, he is aware of himself more than just his ego. Erasing his memories put a reset on his mind. Forgetting all of that was just another form of remembering."

-o-

Once Apollo and his parents returned to Asgard, Sigyn walks down the hallway of Stark Towers. With each step she takes, her magic stretches across her body, changing her outfit to a pair of black leggings and a black tank top with a jean jacket and sneakers. She enters the main living room where all her friends are and they all look at her with a spooked expression. She can't tell whether they were haunted by the Asgard story or her suddenly casual behaviour and appearance. Her guess: both. Sigyn holds her head up high as she takes a seat on Emily's couch, crossing one leg over the other and folding her hand on her knee.

"So," Sigyn starts, clapping her hands once to get their attention. "Since you haven't kicked me out, I would assume that I'm still somehow in your little social circle even though I tried to kill all of you?"

"Yeah," Merida replies monotonously with a deadpanned expression. "It wouldn't be the first time."

 _Graduation._

"And we've all tried to kill each other before," Daniel says as casually as her outfit.

 _Graduation. Maybe some other events Sigyn doesn't know about._

Sigyn still can't help but notice how much they've grown since she last saw them. Sure, she's changed as well but she got to look at her own reflection every day. Her friends may have the same faces but more matured, but they're now adults. _They're all adults._ They have uniformed jobs and the obligation to pay taxes. _They're freaking adults._ Throughout the years, even if they've drifted apart a little and faced barriers, they can always pick up right where they left off. They're all best friends and even though they might not have had a choice in that, they actually really like each other. Keeping secrets is bad but holding grudges never helped anyone either.

"I can tell what you are thinking about," Iqadi says, taking a seat beside her on the couch. "I know what it feels like to have betrayed everyone. That is why I recently showed up as well."

Sigyn nods. "I know about your contingency plan. My section was tested on me the moment Hela evicted me from her realm. I don't intend to demean your actions, but my betrayal makes yours look like a simple white lie. My plan would've worked if I never saw all of your faces, but I brought all of you there so I was setting my own plan up for failure."

"Just like I did," Iqadi confesses.

Sigyn takes a breath. She never expected someone to sympathize with her on this but it was sort of heartwarming to have.

"You guys have been quiet the whole time Apollo and I were yelling at each other," Sigyn says. "I sort of forgot you all were there."

"We were speechless," Angela tells her.

"Or because this is all bullshit!" Merida says. "I'm not saying you and Apollo were lying because this has gone too far for it to be fake, but what the fuck?!"

"What are we supposed to say about a giant snake right below us?!" Xavier screams. "I get that's why Apollo just left but, seriously, what are we supposed to do?"

Sigyn shrugs. "The Midgard Serpent has been dormant this whole time, to my knowledge - "

Sigyn cuts herself off because she notices something. Her friends' eyes keep darting back and forth between one another. They're cautious, debating silently whether or not they should say something. The current climate in the room means that they should either say what they're hiding right on the spot or save it for another time.

"I know that you know something," Sigyn says.

They're shocked into a continuous silence.

Sigyn stands up. "I will not take your pity. All of my and Apollo's decisions have been our own and we may or may not still be convinced that they were the right ones. Our story may still have holes in them but maybe you could help us fix them."

"It's about The Serpent Crown," James informs her.

Sigyn did not expect that but remembers Hela telling her that they found it so it makes sense. "I know that Thor came to get it from you guys. I felt at fault for having an obsession with that crown. My guilt tried to heal me through methods of self-torture."

"When we were getting The Serpent Crown, something happened," Emily tells her, fidgeting with her engagement ring with her other hand. "The moment James or I would grab the crown, something like an earthquake would occur. At first, we didn't really think much about it but after your story, it may have been The Midgard Serpent waking up."

"Not a big deal," Sigyn says calmly to put them at ease, "only Apollo can start Ragnarök."

"But after we got the crown, you showed up in our dream and told us to get Apollo."

Sigyn balls her hands into fists and her magic borders around them until she loosens them. She rubs her hands at her sides and runs them through her hair, wanting to grip it and yank it out. Instead, she looks up in defeat.

"Oh, crap..." She mutters. "I made the mistake of sending Apollo here because what if that's been starting Ragnarök this whole time? That's why we didn't come for the past seven years."

Angela starts to weep. "No…nothing this bad is supposed to happen. We're finally all together again."

"I'm regretting all of this…" Sigyn mutters. "The person I was in Hel would be proud."

"Maybe I can find a way out of it?" Daniel offers.

This is the only time Sigyn ever remembers doubting his intelligence. Even the others look at him with disbelief whereas Merida and James are about to start laughing.

"What?" Daniel questions, being serious about his offer. "I'll do all the thinking so you won't have to. You may be the most powerful in all the realms, but my science trumps your magic. You'll see."

Sigyn smirks. "Can't wait."

"Besides, I have faith in Apollo," Emily says. "He has muscles on top of muscles."

Sigyn lights up a little. "Good point." She tries not to think about how those _muscles on top of muscles_ are going to kill her.

"And for all we know, that snake went back to sleep," Merida reasons.

They all nod their heads because, if there's something humans love during a crisis, it's a rationalization.

"I'm scared to ask," Iqadi says slowly, "but when is Ragnarök?"

Sigyn shrugs. "Should've asked Apollo…but if there is one last thing I can say about him, it's that he has the strongest heart of anyone I have ever known."

James interrupts. "Hey, can I just say something we should've said when we first saw you?"

"What?"

"Welcome back."

* * *

 ** _Stay Tuned -_** **Now that Ragnarök is known, what will the group do in the meantime?**

 **Okay, guys, I am going on a hiatus again because I honestly haven't written the next part. I actually haven't written a chapter for this story since December. However, I know what happens next, have some parts planned, but it just doesn't exist. I'm also pushing back the ending and prolonging the story because I couldn't bear to end it where I originally had it planned.**

 **Thank you to anyone who has read up to this point. I will be back!**


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